Scorpions and Chains
by SevenRenny
Summary: Izuku gets hit by a Villain with a Scorpion Quirk, leaving him in a nightmare induced coma. His friends struggle to save him, and accidentally find the side-effect of the Quirk: allowing others to see Izuku's memories before UA. Deals with bullying and depression. Contains hurt Izuku, friends working together as a team, and some family bonding. Hinted IzuOcha, but not much.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer:_ _I do not own My Hero Academia._

 _Note: Covers manga up to chapter 109_

 _Warnings: Deals with_ _bullying, depression, and dark themes_

* * *

 **Scorpions and Chains**

 **SevenRenny**

 **1**

It had been an accident... a simple accident, because Izuku was one to interfere when it came to the safety of others. Now, it was costing him his life, every breath threatened to be his last. He'd collapsed so suddenly, too fast for Uraraka to grab him. His eyes rolled back and his spine arched as he gasped and struggled to breathe because his throat was swelling inside and he couldn't get air. His vision blurred and black spots danced at the corner of his eyes. He could make out Uraraka's tearstained face looking down at him in horror. She grabbed his head to prevent him from slamming it against the ground again, her other hand occasionally stroking his hair, trying desperately to give him some sort of comfort.

"Deku! It'll be okay… it'll be okay just – just hold on, okay? Please, just hold on, Deku!"

Her voice was hard to hear, mixed in with the panicked chatter of the crowd that had gathered and the haziness of his mind. Someone called for help, someone kept asking 'Is the boy okay? What's wrong with him?' and most watched in worry, unsure of what to do.

His heartbeat pumped in his throat and his body felt too hot. He was sweating, drenching his clothes. It was hard to breathe… a cough, followed by a gurgle, and he choked on his own fluids, coughing and having his spit fly out his mouth and hit his own face. Something bubbly leaked from the corner of his lips, and with his mind so disoriented, he couldn't figure out that he was foaming at the mouth. He tried to speak, but it came out as a pained grunt that ended with a wet cough.

"He's choking!" He heard Iida yell and felt a number of hands on him, pushing. "Put him on his side, hurry!"

Iida was helped by other bystanders to shift Izuku onto his side and Uraraka's hands turned his head, but still holding on to him. The change in positions caused him to vomit out liquids, giving him a few seconds of relief and managing a few breaths before his throat clogged up again. Instincts kicking in, his body fought against suffocation. His legs kicked at their own accord and his fingers scratched at the ground, trying to physically force himself to stay alive. His skin kept switching from hot to cold, then hot again and his body shivered uncontrollably.

"Deku! Please, hang on – please!"

Just how had it gone all wrong?

…

He hadn't expected his morning to be anything special. Yeah, sure, it was his sixteenth birthday, but his birthdays weren't anything special. He usually only had his mom to celebrate with him, but he was living in the dorms now, far away from her, so he only expected a _'Happy Birthday, sweetheart'_ text from her.

"Midoriya!" Iida suddenly called out of nowhere.

Izuku flinched, accidentally drawing a squiggly line across his notebook. Still disturbed by the sudden action of his friend, Izuku whirled around to look at him, placing one hand over his thrumming heart. He didn't like it when people snuck up on him like that. It reminded him of getting jumped by bullies. "Oh – Ah, yeah?"

"Today is a splendid day outside, isn't it?

"I… guess so?" Izuku wasn't sure. He hadn't finished his homework, so he hadn't had time to go jogging yet. He was still weirder out by Iida. Why such a random topic?

"Well then, why don't we have a walk? Some fresh air and sunlight is quite beneficial for both body and mind!" Iida declared loudly. He suddenly grabbed Izuku by his elbow and started to drag him along. "Come, join me!"

"Wah – hold up, wait! I'm – I'm not done yet, I–" Izuku stuttered and tried to pull away, his other hand was unconsciously reaching for his notebook still open on the common room table.

"Yes, homework is just as important; however, it can wait, while your health cannot!"

Izuku blinked. "My health? Iida, I'm fine–"

"Nonsense!" Iida interrupted as he continued to pull Izuku with him. "You're very pale! Please, allow me to accompany you! I assure you, it is for your own benefit!"

"I, ah – okay…" he finally agreed, mostly because he didn't have a choice in the first place. Slipping on their shoes and exiting the dorms, Izuku wondered what had gotten his tall friend so excited today. He seemed more outgoing than usual, and his sudden demand to leave the dorms just didn't make sense. They just walked in silence, and Izuku would occasionally look around to talk about something because _why was it so quiet?_

"So, Midoriya," Iida started.

"Ah – yes?" he was so confused because he knew something was up.

"I've heard Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido and Jiro talking about their visit to that arcade place."

Okay, where was he going with this? "Yeah, it seemed like they had a lot of fun," Izuku said, smiling at the memory. He loved it when his friends got home, all tired out but satisfied. It was a wonderful feeling, knowing they were happy.

"I've heard they are planning to go to that new mall tomorrow. Uraraka and I might go as well. Would you like to come along, Midoriya?"

"Huh?" Izuku tilted his head in confusion. "I… okay, sure." Even if he wasn't really interested, he couldn't say no to spending time with his two best friends.

"Excellent!" Iida said proudly. "I'll inform Uraraka. She'll be happy to know you'll be there as well."

Izuku chuckled softly. "Just happy I get to be with you guys."

"Of course! And we are always pleased to have you with us, Midoriya." He placed a hand on his shoulder. Izuku didn't know why, but it felt like there were a million other things hidden within Iida's words.

Izuku smiled shyly. "Thanks, Iida…"

Iida was about to say something when his phone buzzed. He checked it quickly, then used the hand on Izuku's shoulder to turned him around. "Shall we be heading back? You still have homework, after all."

He wasn't sure why Iida was all over the place today, but he seemed happy, so Izuku didn't question him.

As soon as they stepped back in, the multiple ear-piercing pops and explosions of confetti almost gave him a heart attack.

" _Happy Birthday!"_ all of class 1-A cheered.

Izuku's brain still hadn't caught on yet, and he continued standing there, gaping like an idiot. He felt Iida pat him on the shoulder proudly. "Happy Birthday, Midoriya!"

"Wait… what… but – but how did…?" He struggled to speak because how in the heck did everyone know?

The common room was decorated with colorful streamers and the table had a stack of paper plates. A cake was neatly presented with a candle sticking out of it like a flag. Everyone was there… and when the group of friends parted, he saw her…

"Mom…?"

He was too shocked to move. She walked over to him with teary eyes and hugged him. He latched onto her greedily, not caring that everyone was watching.

"I'd never miss your birthday, sweetie." She squeezed him tighter and ran her fingers through his hair lovingly. He was slightly taller than her, but she still saw him as her baby boy.

"I missed you, mom," he whispered and snuggled his face in her neck. "I love you, mom. I'm so glad you're here."

"Love you, too, baby. You've gotten so far, I'm so proud of you, Izuku." And she meant it. Here he was, her little boy, all grown up and ready to take on the world. He was her world, her everything. She lived for this boy.

Someone in the back sniffed.

"Are you crying?" Sero asked Kirishima after spotting him wiping at his glossy eyes.

"The family love… it's too much. Manly tears, man. Manly tears…" Kirishima used his whole arm to dry his tears. Sero chuckled and gave him a pat on the back.

Izuku was the center of attention and was slightly nervous about it, but once he blew out the candles and everyone clapped for him, the realization slowly sunk in. He'd never had a birthday party with friends. He'd been to Bakugo's when they were children, but nothing more.

His mother wanted him to have an actual birthday party, one with friends who were more than happy to help out. He was sixteen, and he finally got to experience what having friends felt like. He was sure his mother had been the one to inform them of the importance of today's date.

Ochaco gave him a strong hug. "Happy birthday, Deku!" she cheered, not realizing he was blushing like crazy in her arms. A few students, and his mother, chuckled at that. He got a few more pats on the back a few of his friends.

"Happy birthday, man!" Kirishima congratulated him. "I still can't believe you're older than me!" he added and ruffled the green hair playfully, causing Izuku to laugh.

"Bakugo, get over here," Kirishima tried to encourage his _friend_ who had been sitting on the farthest sofa, far away from where the party was. Izuku was surprised he was in the same room. Bakugo never told him a happy birthday, so he'd thought the blond would just stay in his room and avoid the party altogether.

"Why should I?"

"Because it's Deku's birthday," Ochaco reminded him sternly.

"Hope he dies on his next one," Bakugo grumbled.

"Don't be mean!" Ochaco scolded. Izuku sweat dropped. What could he say, really?

"Come on, be nice to him," Kirishima said. "Just for today?"

"Fuck _off!_ "

"Guess that's a no."

"Party pooper," Mina commented, sticking her tongue out at him. They chuckled at the childish display, completely missing how the explosion boy was grinding his teeth in anger.

A few hours earlier, Todoroki had been the one to meet Izuku's mother first. He had been on his way out when he'd spotted her car by the gate. The mother had introduced herself and informed him why she was here. And because she wanted to surprise her boy, her son couldn't know about her arrival just yet, so Todoroki sent a text to everyone, informing them of the situation, and that they needed Izuku _out_. Iida had dragged the poor kid away, and everyone had managed to help the older woman get everything from the car.

Knowing it was the boy's birthday had been a shock for everyone. He hadn't informed anyone about his birth date, so if it weren't for his mother, they would have missed it. It also surprised them just how loving Izuku's mother was.

During the party, Izuku had tears of happiness in his eyes, and Inko was crying as well. It was obvious he took after her. They both shared many physical features, and Izuku's politeness and constant worry over others was a direct copy of his mother's caring nature. It was cute, seeing mother and son interacting so sweetly in front of everyone.

Everyone had a slice of cake, laughing at simple joke every now and then, and some students kept telling Inko a few events that took place during their time at UA. Inko walked over to Bakugo to hand him a slice of cake, because she knew this boy. He wouldn't take the cake unless she brought it over to him.

Mineta whispered something into Denki's ear, and the yellow-haired boy grinned. "Hey, guys," Denki called. "Remember at the License Exam, when everyone was trying to get to the finish line and Midoriya was behind a boulder with a naked lady the whole time?"

Izuku cringed and Sero let out a _pfffft_ before covering his mouth to not lough out loud. He knew what Kaminari was trying to do.

" _Izuku!"_ Inko yelled.

Izuku held out his hands in innocent, waving them erratically as if the movement would stop any accusations coming his way. "Wait, no, mom – that's not what happened!"

"Just _what_ were you doing?" his mother demanded.

" _Nothing!_ It was nothing, really–"

"She was on top of you," Sero said, snickering.

"Sero!" Izuku whined miserably.

"Izuku, that is _not_ how I raised you!"

Izuku tried to explain, but because of his nervousness, it came out as gibberish. Denki had covered his face to muffle his laughter.

Inko sighed. "Izuku, do we need to have that talk again?" she asked sincerely. He immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the room, hoping to talk with her privately. He was _not_ having this conversation in front of them. A number of the students started laughing like maniacs.

"Priceless!" Mina laughed out loud.

"That was so worth it!" Denki said, trying to catch his breath.

"Careful," Momo intervened. "Just don't get him in trouble with his mother."

…

"Thank you all for helping me today," Inko thank Iida and Ochaco who volunteered to help her clean up. Todoroki and Tokoyami helped replace the garbage bag.

"It's no trouble," Iida told her. "We're very glad we all got to celebrate his birthday today."

"Yeah," Ochaco said as she collected a few empty paper plates. "We would've missed it if you hadn't told us. We never asked when his birthday was," she admitted embarrassingly. Some friends they were…

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about, sweetie. Izuku's always been a shy boy," Inko told them, using her Quirk to bring over a few empty cups. "He's also been a lonely boy. I don't think he realizes he has great friends now."

"He's never had friends before, has he?" Iida asked carefully. He had his suspicions, but Izuku's mother just confirmed them.

"No," she admitted sadly. "This is the first birthday party he's ever had with friends. He had a tough time with the other kids in school and… my poor boy was so lonely and I couldn't do anything to help him." She closed her eyes ad blinked away a few tears. "I'm glad he has you, now. Thank you for taking care of him. You don't know how much this means to me," she said, holding each of their hands. "He's a good boy, but he can get reckless sometimes."

They all remembered the many times he'd broken his bones. They couldn't imagine what his mother must've felt whenever she got informed of her son's injuries.

"We will do everything we can, ma'am," Iida said confidently, placing his palm over hers.

"Thank you." She hugged them both, showing them just how grateful she was.

She stayed the rest of the day, because she rarely got to see her boy anymore. He finished his homework quickly so he could join her again. She also admired the other kids. Just like Izuku, they were all children aiming for something big. Compared to the kids Izuku used to deal with, these UA kids were absolute sweethearts. Aside from Bakugo, they all treated him as an equal.

Even his teachers were helpful. She recalled that Uraraka girl telling her about the Quirk assessment incident. Their teacher stopped Bakugo from physically hurting her boy. That was the first time a teacher interfered to save him from getting bullied. Usually, the teachers would pretend nothing was happening, because they either didn't want to deal with it, or just didn't know _how_ to deal with it.

"Man… we would have gotten you presents if we knew earlier," Kaminari complained.

Izuku smiled sheepishly. "You don't have to bring me anything, guys."

They all disagreed.

"Na-ah! No way – Everyone should get presents on their birthday!" Mina demanded.

"No, really, it's fine." It really was. He didn't need presents. Having them and his mother around was enough.

Overall, it was a good birthday party. He had his mom, his friends, and even All Might had sent him a _'Happy Birthday, my boy!'_ text. Well, it seemed like his mother hadn't forgotten to tell his teacher about his birthday.

By the end of the day, Izuku kissed her goodbye and walked her out. He gave her one last hug before she left. He felt complete that night. He was lucky to have such wonderful people around.

The next day, they made the trip to the mall.

While Izuku didn't have anything in mind to buy, he was happy enough to look around. The students scattered; Kirishima accompanied Kaminari and Jiro. Ashido went with Hagakure, and Asui went to check out water-related stores. Iida, being a guy all about speed, headed for the gyms section, confidant he'd find Quirk items suited for him.

Izuku and Ochaco stood in complete silence.

This… was awkward. He hadn't thought of what to do once arriving, and judging by her stillness, she hadn't either.

"So…" started nervously, wringing her hands.

"Ah… got anything in mind?" he asked, looking away shyly.

"Don't you need anything, Deku?"

"No, I'm alright. I thought I'd just have a look around."

She scratched the back of her head. "Yeah… that was my plan, too."

He checked his watch. "We have a lot of time. Wanna check the place out? You might find something," he said hopefully.

She stared at him at first, her cheeks going slightly brighter. She then smiled and gave him a firm nod. "Hmm!"

He hadn't expected her to perk up and take him by the hand. She was leading the way. The mall was divided into sections to help those with specific Quirks find what they needed. Izuku and Ochaco explored some of the areas. They hadn't planned on buying anything, but they ended up purchasing hooded jackets that they both found appealing.

At some point, they stopped for a quick bite.

"This place is so big!" Ochaco said in amazement, shoving a fork-full of cheesecake into her mouth.

"Yeah, I don't think we'll be able to cover it all," he commented, trying out his own cake, a strawberry red one. "It's really amazing, though. I wonder if Iida found the sports sections."

"Yeah," she admitted, looking as people came and went. "It's really easy to get lost here." She took another bite.

Izuku checked the time. "We still have an hour and a half. Do you want to check the water section later?"

Her eyes seemed to sparkle. "Yeah! I hope we meet up with Tsu there."

Turned out the water section was bigger than they had originally thought. Swimming pools were lined up on the sides and one of the walls was a giant glass aquarium, letting them see people with fish-like Quirks swimming in there. Those without Quirks related to water where just trying out swimsuits.

"Tsu!" Ochaco cheered when she saw her friend through the glass. The frog girl was in that resembled a diving suit. She spotted them and swam closer, stopping just as she touched the glass with her big hands. Ochaco, still happy and excited, placed her palm against the glass as well, making it seem like she was touching Tsuyu's hand. The frog girl looked over at Izuku. He smiled and gave her a friendly wave which she returned before swimming up.

"She looks happy," Ochaco said softly, moving her hands behind her back as she saw her friend swim up.

"Yeah," Izuku agreed. In the water, Asui seemed right at home.

They continued looking around. Ochaco bought a pink two piece skirted bikini because, well, why not? Walking out the store, Izuku couldn't stop smiling as Ochaco chatted happily. Seeing his friend in such a happy-go-lucky state always had that affect on him. His friends brought him joy so easily. The day couldn't have been better–

The glass window of a nearby jewelry store shattered. A man's unconscious body was thrown out before slamming and sliding across the floor. Bystanders screamed in shock and stopped whatever they were doing.

Ochaco and Izuku stared, frozen to the spot. What… just happened?

Alarms went off. People scattered. Izuku slowly turned to the broken window in horror. A female Villain in a skimpy leather suit was holding a woman down to the floor as her comrade invaded the store. An explosion came from the upper floors. Both Izuku and Ochaco dropped their bags. It was a full on attack.

He didn't know when he'd jumped into the store through the broken window, but seeing that woman being held down against her will, screaming as the Villain held a spike-covered hand only inches away from her face… he couldn't just stand there and watch. The second the Villain saw him with his fist ready to strike, she released her victim and jumped back.

Keeping his eyes on the Villain, he bent over to help the woman up. The Villain smirked and raised her hand, the spikes sticking out of her palm shot out, and Izuku grabbed the woman off the ground and flipped them both away. The spikes stabbed the ground.

"Go!" he yelled. "Go, run!"

The woman scrambled off the ground and hurriedly made a run for it, limping as she escaped.

"This isn't a game for kids, boy," the Villain said in amusement.

Izuku held his ground, fists ready. She was dangerous. He didn't care about what she could've stolen; he just didn't want anyone hurt. He had to stall her, keep her here until proper help arrived. The alarms were still going off. Where were the guards?

Then he remembered the explosion earlier. Did she have other comrades attacking other parts of the mall?

"You want to act the Hero's part, huh?" the Villain said, cocking her head to the side.

"Deku!" Ochaco screamed.

He turned just in time to see another Villain, ready to grab him. Izuku ducked under his arm and rolled away to the side. The female Villain charged at him, her hand ready to stab him. He dodged repeatedly, hearing the whoosh of air by his face when her hand got too close. After one, powerful swing, he ducked under her arms and saw the opening he'd been waiting for. In one swift motion, he grabbed her arm, turned, and mimicked the arm throw he'd preformed on Bakugo and Shinso, slamming her to the ground. In her state of confusion, he quickly flipped her over and pinned her down.

"You little brat!" the male Villain yelled. Izuku's heart almost stopped when he saw that he was targeting Ochaco. He was ready to release his capture when he saw his friend act. Using what Gunhead had tough her, she seized him by the upper arm, kicked the back of his knee to pull him down, and grabbed the back of his neck to slam him face down into the ground. He let out a pained grunt.

Izuku's eyes widened in horror when he saw that the Villain she had taken had had a scorpion's tail. Unknown to Ochaco, the tail slowly lifted, aiming for the back of her neck.

"Uraraka!" Without thinking, he released the female Villain and ran. He'd unconsciously used Full Cowl, because there was no way he'd reach her otherwise. That little boost was enough to get him there. Just as the tail arched to strike, he grabbed and tried to pull it back, as far as he could from stabbing his friend.

"Deku!" Ochaco yelled in surprise, finally realizing why Izuku had jumped in. Sharp pain cut through his back and he gasped in pain. Seven spikes stuck were sticking out of his back, just behind his left shoulder. He almost lost his balance from the sudden pain and his grip on the tail loosened. The tip of the tail suddenly twisted to the side–

–and the stinger at the tip pierced his arm.

" _Deku!"_ Ochaco screamed in terror as her friend screeched in agony. He sucked in a breath and, with all the energy he had, he pulled the tail away and held it to the ground, keeping it at bay. He briefly saw the other Villain, getting ready to stab him again, when a dart randomly zipped by and struck her in the neck.

People in uniforms stormed the area. Uwabami led the team of officers through. Native was right behind her. He took aim with his blow stick and shot another dart at the Villain Ochaco was holding down. Kamui Woods was present. He used his wooden body parts to climb up to the upper floor, most likely to get to where the explosion had occurred.

The female Villain wobbled on her feet, and the Villain ion the ground stopped struggling.

"Kids, move away!" Uwabami commanded. Officers ran over and secured the two Villains, chaining them up. Ochaco and Izuku moved away as the officers did their work. She quickly grabbed Izuku's hands in worry.

"Deku, are you okay? Does it hurt?" she fussed over him, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. He was hunching over due to the pain in his back. The spikes resembled quills of a porcupine, sharp at the ends and thick at the center. Any movement caused his clothes to shift, nudging the spikes in the process. He squinted in pain.

"Oh, Deku…" Ochaco whimpered sympathetically.

"Get him outside. The medics should be here by now," Uwabami told two of the officers. They guided them both out, one officer holding Izuku by the elbow; just to be sure the boy wouldn't collapse. Ochaco held on to him as well, asking him if he was alright.

"I'm fine… really," he tried, but it was too painful to ignore the quills in his back. Just outside, their friends ran over to them. Aside from Kaminari who had a scratch on his cheek, they were all unharmed. When they heard an officer calling the medics over, they ran faster.

"Midoriya, Uraraka!" Iida yelled. "Are you unharmed?"

The group of friends followed along as the officers kept ushering the two forward.

"I'm fine, but Deku…" Ochaco looked at her wincing friend worriedly.

They saw the spikes in his back. "Holy crap!" Kaminari yelled, cringing at the thought of how deep those actually were.

"I'm fine… just…" Izuku tried to calm them down. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He felt dizzy and brain-fogged.

They spotted a white van. Medics carried in a person on a stretcher. Izuku's vision blurred. Shapes turned into cotton and voices melted into each other. Everything went sideways. His heart rammed against his chest, threatening to burst. He heard them yell for him, but his body and brain weren't functional anymore.

" _Deku!"_

" _Midoriya!"_

" _We need help over here!"_

Waves of nausea and agony knocked him over and over again. The spikes in his back were temporarily forgotten as his body jolted and jerked around, sending him rolling onto his back. The spikes dug in deeper, but he couldn't command his body. It had a mind of its own. He shivered uncontrollably and his throat clogged up. He couldn't breathe… panic set in because he couldn't breathe, he couldn't breathe – _someone help!_

" _Just give up already."_

" _You're Quirkless – what do you think you can do?"_

"– _means good for nothing."_

" _You? A Hero? You've got to be kidding–"_

" _When is he going to stop dreaming?"_

"– _look at things realistically, kid."_

" _Useless Deku–"_

" _I'm sorry, Izuku! I'm so sorry!"_

 **TBC**

* * *

 _Notes: Yeah, I stopped it right there, because I'm mean like that. I'm kind of a noob when it comes to multi-chapter stories, and I'm still not used to writing them, so forgive me if this doesn't turn out the way I planned. I have no idea how often I should update. I have most of the chapters written out, (just need to finish the last one) but I'm still unsure how to handle this. I don't know if I should update this on a weekly bases, or should I just update every three days or something... Give me some time, I'll figure it out after I finish the last chapter. It depends on how fast I finish it, and what you guys think of this first part. This is very different from what I usually do, so I'm kind of winging it. I usually write IzuOcha fics, and while the shipping isn't the main focus here, I might subconsciously slide in hints here and there._


	2. Chapter 2

**Scorpions and Chains**

 **SevenRenny**

 **2**

Voices and footsteps echoed through the halls. The white hospital walls were a pain in the eyes. The group of friends waited in uncomfortable silence. Ochaco fumbled with the hem of her skirt. Her eyes were slightly red from crying. She'd occasionally shed a few more tears every now and then as waves of emotions washed over her over and over. Tsuyu rubbed her back as Ochaco smudged away a few new tears.

"Uraraka, it wasn't your fault," Iida reminded her again.

"I–" she sniffed miserably, unable to hold it in. "It's… he saved me… Deku – He…he…" she sobbed.

"Uraraka, don't blame this on yourself," Iida assured her.

"He's right, ya know," Kirishima agreed. "Look, we all know how Midoriya gets when he wants to help someone. He's gotten worse injuries before – this won't bring him down. He's a tough little guy."

They saw a familiar boy in the hallway. His half-white, half-red hair was easy to spot among the people around him.

"Todoroki," Iida greeted.

Todoroki gave him a simple nod before asking, "Any news?"

"Not yet," Kaminari sighed and leaned back in his chair. He had a bandage over the cut on his cheek. He'd gotten it when a sharp chunk of glass flew at him after the explosion. He kept tapping his foot nervously. The memory of Midoriya going through what seemed like a seizure was imprinted in his mind. It had been terrifying, seeing his friend writhing on the ground like that. Denki had been useless, just like everyone else.

It didn't take long for other students to appear. Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami and Ojiro made it, followed by Sero and Mineta.

After what seemed like forever, they finally got some news.

"He's stable," the doctor told them, and they all sighed in relief. "The spikes had been pulled out cleanly, and the substance in his body isn't recognizable, but his body isn't reacting to it in any way. He had an allergic reaction to it earlier, but that seems to be it," the doctor with a chameleon Quirk explained, his lizard eyes moving around to scan everything.

"You said he was stung by that scorpion Quirk guy, right?" Kirishima asked Ochaco. She nodded.

The doctor hummed. "That must've been how the substance got into his system. We checked him over and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. Even the puncture area where the sting had entered isn't showing any signs of swelling or nerve damage. It doesn't seem like the sting had done anything to him. We won't know for sure what the Quirk did to him, but physically, he's doing fine. He's still asleep, but you can go ahead and see him. Use the buzzer to call a nurse if he wakes up."

Clad in a simple hospital gown, the sleeping figure in the white bed remained in a deep slumber. The thin blanket was up to his chest. He had dark lines underneath his eyes, but nothing else seemed out of the ordinary. They all gathered by his bed. Ochaco grabbed his limp hand, hoping to comfort him even if he didn't realize she was here.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Hagakure asked worriedly.

"Of course he will!" Kirishima said. The group shushed him for being too loud. He whispered an apology sheepishly.

"But still, that was really scary…" Hagakure whimpered.

They agreed. The way their friend suddenly collapsed almost gave them all a heart attack.

"You heard the doc, he'll be fine," Kirishima he reassured her. He felt like a hypocrite, because he had been worrying his head off a few minutes ago.

They stayed with Izuku for a few more hours. His mother eventually made it. They scattered and exited to give her privacy with her son. Judging by her eyes, she must've been crying the whole way here. As soon as she reached his bed, she threw herself at him, hugging him close and combing her fingers through his messy hair.

"Oh, Izuku… Izuku… you'll be okay, sweetie… it's going to be okay…" she cried, pushed her wet face against his affectionately. She gave him multiple kisses on his head and cheek and hugged him closer. Ochaco, who had been watching by the door, felt a tear slide down her cheek.

They'd promised his mother they'd take care of him. They failed… they failed and now he was in a hospital bed. The guilt in Ochaco's chest grew. That scorpion attack had been aimed at her. She had been targeted because she hadn't been paying attention. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was. She needed to tell him, or the guilt wouldn't go away.

The shopping trip had ended with terror. Some of the students felt it would've been better not to have gone in the first place. The next day, the classroom felt eerie. The empty desk behind Bakugo was a reminder of where their classmate actually was. All Might kept his usual smile, but they all felt the worry radiating from him.

They visited Izuku again after school. He hadn't woken up.

The doctor wasn't sure why the boy slept like the dead. He'd inspected him again, just to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He seemed fine, so the doctor rolled it off as exhaustion. The third day, they admitted something was wrong. When Ochaco, Iida and the others came over to see him again, they got the unsettling update from Aizawa.

They huddled around Izuku's bed, watching as sweat poured down his head in an unhealthy amount. His eyes were squeezed shut, but the wrinkles around them showcased his distress. It was painful to watch. Dread washed over the group after Aizawa had told them what the scorpion man's Quirk was: Nightmare Coma.

"How…" Iida feared to ask. "How long will he remain like this?"

"That's hard to say," Aizawa said. "I looked into Scorpio's files. He's attack two other people before. One stayed in a comatose state for two months. She was unable to talk after waking up and committed suicide later, so we don't have much information to go on."

The group stayed silent. Kirishima gritted his teeth, his hands clinching into tight fists. Ochaco held Izuku's limp hand, sniffling and doing her best not to cry.

"What about the other one?" Yaoyorozu asked urgently.

His lazy eyes turned to her. "After four months in a coma, she died in her sleep later on."

…

His mother was in pieces. She wailed pitifully as she cradled her son's head to her chest. "Izuku… Izuku…" _wake up, baby,_ she begged. He remained unmoving.

It was sickening, watching him so still and lifeless, and knowing he was probably going through one nightmare after another. His pupils would twitch beneath his eyelids and he would occasionally twitch, but those were the only signs of brain activity so far. Some students, like Kirishima, tried to bring their hopes up.

" _He'll wake up on his own! If there's one thing we know about Midoriya, it's that he never gives up!"_

So they waited.

Two more days passed. He was still unmoving. They made sure to visit him every day, surrounding his bed and talking with each other loudly, hoping he'd be able to hear them. The fifth day, Iida and Uraraka came to visit him a second time that day, only to find Bakugo in the same room. He was sitting in a white chair with his arms crossed. He glared at them for a minute, then huffed and closed his eyes in annoyance.

He hadn't bothered to visit their classmate before, so why now?

They gave Bakugo a simple greeting – which he didn't return – before they walked over to the bed. Ochaco grasped Izuku's hand gently and Iida placed a comforting palm on the green boy's head.

"Hey, Deku," Ochaco said softly. She came to miss his bright eyes. She saw the wrinkles of distress between his brows and she rubbed her thumb over the back of his palm in hopes of easing his pain.

"Stay strong, Midoriya," Iida told him. "We're all waiting for you to wake up."

They weren't sure if he could hear them. They hoped their words were getting to him some way. They stayed with him, and after a while, Kirishima came by as well. He stopped and stared at Bakugo in surprise. Kirishima smirked, but didn't say anything when the blond growled at him. He chuckled and walked past his red-eyed friend to get to the unconscious one.

Iida moved away to give him room. Kirishima tussled Izuku's hair playfully. "Still sleeping, eh, buddy?" He knew he wouldn't get an answer, but if his friend could still hear him, then every word was worth it.

"I hope he wakes up…" Ochaco said sadly, rubbing his hand between hers. She wanted him back.

"He will," Kirishima told her. It was hard to tell if he was just trying to be optimistic or if he truly did believe Izuku would awaken soon. An hour later, they were forced to leave as Izuku needed to be tube fed. They returned to finish their homework and study for a bit. The dorms felt empty without their sunshine boy.

Ochaco returned to the hospital for a third visit that day. She stopped just by the door when she heard the voice of All Might.

" _I'm sorry, my boy."_

She'd never heard the man so down. The door suddenly opened and she was fact-to-face with the skinny man.

"Oh, you're here to see Midoriya?"

She gave him a firm nod.

He patted her head. "Go right in. I'm sure he misses hearing your voice," he told her hopefully.

She watched him leave. The whole week seemed sad to her. The situation, her friends, her teachers, her… Everything was a mess. She stepped into the room and greeted the boy, taking a hold of his scarred hand like she always did. This was the same boy who always did his best – a friend she looked up to. He had been the one she strived to be like.

Still holding on to his hand, she reached with her other hand to cup his cheek. He didn't react, of course.

"Deku…"

Still nothing, like always.

"I really miss you, Deku," she admitted sadly. "Please wake up… Everyone is waiting for you…" She felt hot tears as her vision blurred. "Your mom, All Might, Iida, everyone in class…. me…" She sniffed and felt a tickle run down her cheek. She placed both of her hands around his face and pressed her head to his, rubbing her forehead against his.

"Please, wake up soon, Deku…" Her tears slipped and landed on his cheek. Ochaco dragged the empty chair over and sat down. She intertwined her fingers with his, folding her other arm over the bed so she could rest her chin over it like a pillow.

She slept next to her friend.

…

Something was terribly wrong when she opened her eyes.

"Eh?" Her voice echoed.

She was standing in the middle of a white room. There were no walls or a ceiling, just empty whiteness.

"Eh!" she gasped, clutching her head in confusion. Where was she? What was this place? How had she gotten here? "What's… what…" Her hand came up to clutch over her heart, and she noticed the feel of the clothes she was in. looking down, she noticed she was in her school uniform. She hadn't been wearing this when visiting Deku…

Deku!

She'd fallen asleep next to him, but that was as far as her memory allowed showing her. Green fog slowly devoured the room, and she suddenly saw herself standing in the middle of a sidewalk. People walked by her normally and cars passed by.

 _What was going on?_

"Eh… I… excuse me?" she tried to get a boy's attention. He walked by, ignoring her completely.

"Please? Excuse me?" She tried again when she spotted two girls clad in black school uniforms. She called to them, nervously wringing her hands. "Can… can you help me? I think I'm lost – I… I sorta don't know how I got here, but if you could please tell me where I am–" she froze when the two girls _walked through her_ as if she were a ghost.

"…Eh?" her head creaked to look back at the girls. They were talking as if nothing happened… as if she wasn't even there. A random boy in a similar uniform walked through her as well, leaving her standing in silence as her brain slowly turned on the engine again.

"Eeeehhhhh?" she screamed and frantically patted herself down, checking for anything wrong. Was she dead? Was she a ghost?

She caught the familiar sight of bushy green hair. "Deku…?" she rubbed at her eyes, because this couldn't be true. He was walking away, his yellow backpack strapped to his shoulders. She recognized his big, red shoes. It was definitely him.

Abandoning all forms of logic and reason, she ran after him. "Deku!" She reached to touch his shoulder. "Deku, wait–!" Her hand went through him uselessly. She took a second or two to realize what had happened and looked down at her hand. She couldn't touch anyone, not even him. "Deku…?" He didn't respond to her. he hadn't heard her or seen her. She was invisible to him…

 _Where was she?_

She ran after him and slowed to walk next to him. He was wearing a black school uniform, and she notice he was almost her height. She remembered he'd been slightly taller than her before. He was looking down at the ground as he walked and she noticed how his shoulders slumped and how his eyes didn't have that usual brightness she'd come to admire.

She waved her hand in front of his face experimentally. He didn't react.

"Deku? Can you hear me, Deku?"

Still nothing.

She was a ghost to him.

She didn't know why or how, but as soon as a school building came into view and saw Izuku walk through the gates, her mind pieced together everything she'd gathered so far.

Shorter Deku, those uniforms, that kind of school…

Was she looking at Deku's past? But… but… how was this possible? No. It had to be a dream... right?

She followed her friend, hoping to find an answer to what was going on. She kept her eyes on him, folding her hands behind her back. He looked so sad. He never raised his eyes, but kept them down to the ground submissively as he walked. As he drifted through the hallways, she felt the need to talk to him. She knew Deku was a quiet unless spoken to, but this… this was too quiet. This Deku didn't seem like the happy boy she knew at UA.

This one looked sad.

The circle of isolation around him worried her. Her heart sank into her gut when Inko's voice rang in her head. _Izuku's been a lonely boy. I don't think he realizes he has great friends now –_ now… he never had any before.

"Deku," she tried in vain. "Deku, please talk to me?" _I'm here for you now, so please..._

"Deku," she pawed at his shoulder uselessly, watching it pass through him. It was frustrating, watching him so isolated and alone and she was standing right there – unable to do anything for him.

Someone bumped him, shoving him to the side. She passed through him harmlessly, but his shoulder slammed against the wall. He held on to the straps of his backpack as the blond-haired kid who'd pushed him smirked down at him.

She recognized who this was. "Bakugo?"

The blond-haired kid's friends chuckled beside him. Izuku began trembling and Ochaco noticed how he seemed to shrink into himself, as if he wanted to hide.

Rage bubbled in her chest. Her hands clinched and tears collected at the corner of her eyes.

"Got something to say?" the friend with long fingers threatened, taking a step closer. He was fairly thin and his long hair hid his eyes, but he was significantly taller than Izuku, and that smirked didn't seem too friendly. Izuku shook his head frantically, his pupils shrinking into tiny dots.

She couldn't stand it.

"Leave him alone, you bullies!" she yelled, her fists shaking by her sides. But, of course, no one heard her.

Deeming this a small, effortless victory, Bakugo huffed and continued walking, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The kid with long fingers chuckled and patted Izuku on the shoulder, as if rewarding him for not fighting back. Izuku flinched at the touch and the kid walked off with his friend, quickly forgetting about their victim.

She turned to him quickly, looking him over. "Are you okay, Deku? Are you hurt?" she fussed over him, worry eating at her heart. It was clear Izuku had been expecting something worse from that boy, judging by how he was still trembling. He released a shaky breath and dropped his head, waiting for his heart to calm down. He was still leaning against the wall he had been shoved against.

This wasn't like him. This wasn't like him at all. He usually bounced back quickly after confrontations with the explosion boy.

"It's okay, Deku. He's gone," she tried to comfort him. The way he held himself… it was like a puppet hanging on to loose strings. This wasn't the Deku she knew from UA. She reached out and her hands went through him again. She wanted to squeeze his shoulder, rub his back, hug him – anything! He was hurting and she couldn't do anything.

He released a deep sigh and readjusted his backpack, moving away from the wall. There was a slight glint of determination in his eyes. Her Deku was in there somewhere, hidden under all of his fears and insecurities.

"Are you feeling better?" She knew he wouldn't be able to answer her, but _please just hear me, please!_

He huffed and straightened his shoulders. This looked familiar. She recognized the movement and she felt a flurry of happiness in her chest. "That's it, Deku! Pick yourself up," she cheered for him, punching the air as she encouraged him. "That's it! Don't give up!"

He stopped shaking, and once he collected himself, he took a brave step, followed by another, then another, until he was marching through the halls and up the stairs like a soldier. His movements were forced and stiff, but she knew if it wasn't for his stubborn determination, he'd still be leaning against that wall.

As she hiked up the stairs after him, the walls began to crumble and break into dust. The tiny particles drifted up slowly like the sand in an hourglass. To her horror, the stairs disappeared from beneath her feet. She saw Izuku's back as he slowly became transparent.

"Deku!" She reached out to him desperately, jumping over non-existent stairs. She wasn't moving from her spot. His figure faded and her hand remained stretched out to him.

Everything turned out. The white room again.

Her eyes cracked open slowly. There was warmth in her hand. She squeezed it and felt the familiar scars. She was in the hospital, holding Izuku's hand. He was still in a coma, and she had slept beside him.

It had been a dream…

"U – Uraraka?"

She suddenly turned when she heard Iida's voice. Most of the students were present, staring at her with concern in their eyes. Iida looked like he was about to shake her by the shoulder if she didn't respond soon.

She rubbed away the sleepiness from her eyes. "Hey, guys," she said tiredly. She noticed Aizawa and Izuku's doctor standing there as well. How had she not heard any of them walk in? "What's…" she stopped after following where everyone was looking.

Izuku was still sleeping, but a fainter form of Full Cowl glowed against his skin. The red lines stretched across his face, down his neck, and around his arms. The glow was much weaker than the usual Full Cowl. He was unconscious, but the rapped movements beneath his eyelids and the wrinkles between his brows indicated he was going through something in his head.

He slowly relaxed, and the glow faded completely.

No one moved.

"….what the hell was that?" Kaminari asked quietly.

No one answered.

"Oi," he tried again. Still, no one responded to him.

Getting past her own shock, Ockaco slowly removed her hand from Izuku's before turning to Iida. "What… what happened?"

"Did he just try to use Full Cowl while in a coma?" Jiro asked in disbelief.

There was a long pause of silence. The doctor with the chameleon's face ordered everyone out to check over the comatose boy, leaving the kids waiting outside, pacing back and forth and scratching their heads over what they had seen.

The doctor gave them the verdict: no change.

"What the heck was that, then?" Kirishima asked, his mind going in a million directions. He'd been hoping his friend would be close to waking up. His hopes had gone down the drain when it turned out nothing had changed; Izuku was still in a deep sleep.

"I honestly don't know what to tell you." The doctor bent over and lifted one of Izuku's eyelids to look at his eye, then did the same to the other. "Physically, nothing's changed."

"Physically," Aizawa repeated. "You think his head is messed up, then."

"Mentally," the doctor corrected. "I know this sounds farfetched–"

"We just saw one of my students use his quirk while in a coma. I think I'll take whatever crazy theory you've got into consideration," Aizawa commented nonchalantly.

The doctor's chameleon eyes twitched. "Like I said, it's farfetched, but considering the Quirk that got him into this state, we can say this isn't a normal coma, yes?"

Aizawa admitted it was kind of difficult to focus on what the doctor was saying when his chameleon eyes kept darting in different directions. His voice sounded similar to Recovery Girl's, which made it seem even weirder.

"Nightmare Coma, yes? Like I said, it's farfetched, but I believe he may have been trying to wake himself up." The doctor cupped his chin as he thought. "But why now? He hadn't shown any progress like this before… was there a trigger, perhaps?"

Ochaco raised a shaky hand, brought it down, then shook her head and raised it again in determination, deciding it was best to let them know, anyways. "Umm… I…"

"Uraraka?" Iida asked. He then knocked his fist against his open palm in realization. "That's right – you were with him when that happened!"

"Hmm." She nodded. "And… I think I saw something… it was weird, it's–" _I was dreaming about him?_ Her fink cheeks turned brighter as she blushed at the idea of saying that out loud. How would she explain this? This was frustrating. "It's gonna sound weird. I don't know if you'll believe me…"

"Please, Uraraka," Iida begged, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Anything might help. We need something to go on. Please, for Midoriya."

That was enough for her. They listened as she explained her… unforgettable experience. She left out the emotional parts, and the upsetting encounter that involved Bakugo. She mentioned Bakugo was there, but that was it. She was met with tilted heads and she could picture the question marks floating over Denki's head. The question was said aloud by Momo.

"How do you know that was Midoriya's past and not just a dream?"

"I… don't know? It just looked so real…" she hadn't really thought about it. She had assumed it was his past without evidence. What could she use as evidence? Was she making a big deal out of nothing? Had her brain simply made all of that up? Deku… Bakugo… oh!

"Bakugo!" She yelled suddenly, causing some to flinch in surprise by her outburst.

"Eh?" He gave her that half glare, half what-the-fuck-now look on his face.

"Bakugo was there and… he had this friend with really long fingers and… err…" Think, think, come on, remember other things. "… I think it was his Quirk and… he had shoulder length hair, I think and…" She messed with the back of her hair as she scrambled for any clues.

She didn't need to go any further. The look of shock and recognition formed on Bakugo's face before he scowled at the memory of his old lackey.

"Bakugo?" questioned carefully, seeing that strange, suspicious look in those red eyes.

"Yeah, I know 'm," Bakugo admitted sternly, looking away when Ochaco's eyes widened.

"Was the description accurate, Bakugo?" Aizawa asked, eyeing him the whole time.

Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Yeah."

"No way…" Kaminari said and clutched his head in disbelief.

Mina shook Ochaco by the shoulders. "You got in his head? How?"

"I – I… umm… I don't know, really…" Ochaco panicked a little. "I think I fell asleep?"

"That's all?" Momo asked to make sure.

"That might be the weakness of the Coma Quirk," the chameleon man said. "Every Quirk has a limit."

"Uraraka, do you think you can do it again?" Iida asked hopefully.

"I – I don't know," she said nervously. It was still shocking to hear Bakugo admit what she'd seen was real. "I'll try!" she finally said. She'd try, for Deku. If this really was a weakness in the Quirk, then there had to be a way to break Deku out of its curse.

"Repeat what you did when it happened," Yaoyorozu advised. "We're still not sure how it's done."

Ochaco tried to rewind her memory. "I fell asleep next to him and…" she looked down at her hand and blushed. "And I held his hand the whole time, I think."

"So it has something to do with either close proximity or physical contact, maybe." Momo thought out loud.

"Let's try it!" Kirishima shouted, his fists clinching in determination. "We have to! If there's a way to save Midoriya then we gotta at least try!"

It was farfetched. They weren't even sure if it would work again. But there must've been a reason why Ochaco had been able to slip into Izuku's mind. The doctor the nurses set the comatose boy on a heart monitor for safety. Multiple chairs were set up and students crowded the white room.

Ochaco sat by Izuku and threaded her fingers with his. Taking a pill given to her by the nurse to help her fall asleep, she blinked in confusion when Iida took one as well.

"I'm trying as well." The determination in his voice told her how confident he was of his decision.

"You know, we're not even sure if it's gonna work," Ashido reminded him.

"Even so," He dragged a chair to the other side of the bed and grabbed Izuku's other hand. "It's worth a try. I know Midoriya would do the same if it were me on this bed. As a loyal friend, I will not abandon him at times of need." He took off his glasses, folded them and placed them aside before pulling out a pillow from who knows where and plopping it on the side of the bed. "Now, to sleep!" He dropped his face into the pillow.

Everyone in the room sweat dropped.

"The pill doesn't work that fast, son," the doctor stated.

 **TBC**

* * *

 _Note: So... that happened. I'll just update whenever I feel like updating, I guess. There are only 5 or 6 chapters, anyways._


	3. Chapter 3

**Scorpions and Chains**

 **SevenRenny**

 **3**

Blinding white stabbed his vision. He took off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes before putting them back on and squinting through the light. He heard himself gasp, and it was enough to assure him he hadn't gone deaf.

"What…" his voice echoed. "Where… is this?"

"Iida!"

He knew that voice. Turning, he saw Ochaco run over to him worriedly. She was in her UA school uniform, and – looking down at himself – so was he.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking around. There were no walls or ceiling, just empty whiteness that went on and on.

"We did it…" Ochaco breathed out. She was stunned the trick had actually worked, which meant it really was a weakness in the Quirk. If the Quirk had a weakness from within, then there had to be a way to disable it from the inside. Determination bubbled in her chest and she balled her hands into fists. "We made it! We made it in!"

Like leaking watercolors, clouds of green and brown slowly painted the ground beneath their feet. Ochaco quieted and nervously stepped closer to her friend for security. The white room transformed into a walkway. They heard the sound of traffic far away and to their right was a chain link fence that separated them from a few teens playing baseball.

Iida froze in shock when a body passed through him. He remembered how Ochaco had described being unable to touch anyone in here. It was creepy, feeling only the heat of someone else's body walk through him. The person who had passed them had familiar green hair and a yellow backpack.

"That's Deku!" Ochaco yelled before Iida could.

They both ran after the boy.

"Midoriya, please wait!"

He knew it was useless, but he just was just so used to talking with the shorter boy. Midoriya had always been respectable and kind, and Iida was grateful to have him as his friend.

Something was slightly different with this Midoriya. Sure, this was probably a few years ago, so he should've expected physical differences, but the way he walked, the way he held himself… As Iida and Ochaco followed him, he noticed how Izuku always seemed to keep his eyes down. His steps were also slightly on the lazy side, indicating the boy had little or no motivation at the moment.

"What do we do?" Ochaco asked hesitantly, worry seeping into her voice. "We got in but…" _now what?_

Iida cupped his chin, thinking things over. "Midoriya's doctor said it's a weakness in the Quirk. We can cancel a Quirk if we can find the weakness," he said, but then his face pinched as he continued thinking out loud. "However, it doesn't seem like there is much we can do. We are unable to touch or speak to him. Does that mean all of this is only a part of the weakness?" he asked himself, looking around. He didn't recognize the area, but there was nothing suspicious about it. There had to be a clue.

There was a loud clap and Izuku stopped to look at the group of friends playing baseball.

" _Ohhhh!"_

" _Run, you doofus!"_

" _Start running, man!"_

" _Oh – err, right!"_

Those sitting on the benches cheered and laughed, one girl waved her cap in the air.

Ochaco and Iida saw the small smile on Izuku's face. Iida didn't miss the longing in those green eyes. Iida looked back at the group behind the fence. Did he know some of them? Did he want to join them? He noticed how Ochaco looked at Izuku. Her hand was about to touch his shoulder but then dropped her hand when she remembered she couldn't do anything in this state.

"Uraraka?" Iida asked carefully. Was he missing something that she somehow caught?

She clutched at her heart and looked down. Their friend adjusted his backpack with a shrug of his shoulders and continued walking.

"He looks lonely," she admitted sadly.

He half understood what she meant. Sure, he was alone at the moment, but didn't he know those kids? And Midoriya was an easy person to make friends with, and while his mother had told them he hadn't had any friends, Iida figured Izuku must have knew a few people as acquaintances.

"I'm sure Midoriya's just tired right now," he told her, because his friend did indeed look worn out.

They continued to tail him until they reached an apartment building.

"I'm home, mom," Izuku called out, closing the door behind him and bending down to slip off his shoes. The door went through Iida and Ochaco and they instinctively squinted. The door felt cold when going through them. It didn't make much sense. They stood on concrete and solid ground just fine, but couldn't touch the door?

"Welcome back, sweetie." There was a squeak as the tap water in the kitchen was turned off. Inko was in an apron, smiling lovingly at him as her son came over to her. He leaned his head on her and she gave him a kiss on the head.

"You must be tired." She grabbed a filled pot. "Go rest. I'll call you when it's ready."

"Okay, mom," her son said with a bright smile before heading for his room. The apartment was small, but decent, enough for Inko and her son. Iida and Ochaco remembered how this chubby woman arrived at their dorms to celebrate her son's birthday. Judging from the photos in the home and how quiet the place was, they figured Inko only had Izuku. There was no sign of a father or any other kids around. Izuku was her only boy – her only family.

They couldn't blame the woman for being so attached to her baby. He was everything to her. The photos on the walls were all of him, so he was her only son. He wasn't a difficult person, which meant he wasn't a difficult child to care for. Inko and Izuku were both caring people, and it was easy to see why these two were so attached to each other.

The chubby woman placed steaming bowls and plates on the table. She messed about with the cutlery before going over to her son's room and calling him. He came out in regular grey clothes. He didn't look as lonely as before. His smile was genuine, and it was all thanks to his mother.

"Eat up, honey." She gave him a kiss on the cheek when he sat down.

"Thanks, mom!"

While it was a relaxing atmosphere, Ochaco and Iida felt out of place. They were basically intruding on their friend's memories.

"How was school today?" Inko asked, sitting down as well to join in.

"It was fine. Nothing much happened," he told her happily, grabbing a bowl of rice.

She didn't look convinced, but nodded and reached for a plate. They ate in silence for a while. It looked like Inko was waiting for him to finish most of his meal before asking her question. "I hope Katsuki isn't still bothering you, dear," she brought up the subject.

"Bakugo?" Iida whispered, forgetting that those two couldn't hear him or Ochaco.

Izuku lowered the rice bowl from his mouth and stared at her wide-eyed, a few grains of rice sticking just by his lips. "No, no! Kacchan's… He's… He's fine, mom, really!" he gave her a wide smile, but she saw right through him.

She sighed sadly. "Izuku, please…"

He reached over the table and gently grabbed her hand. "I'm doing better, I promise!" he tried to show her he was happy, but she knew her boy; as for Iida and Ochaco, they only realized he was faking due to how his eyes were missing their regular spirit.

"Izuku," she whispered. It was hard for her to keep herself together when it came to this. "You have a bruise, Izuku."

He froze. His pupils shrunk and he searched himself to find any discoloration. Inko pushed herself from her chair and went over to him.

"I… eh, mom–"

She didn't let him finish. She gently grabbed his arm and her thumb brushed near a dark patch on his upper arm. The bruise was just visible from beneath the short sleeve. Izuku looked up at her with slight panic.

"It's… it's nothing – I just fell, it doesn't even hurt!" He tried, adding an awkwardly forced chuckle to lighten the mood.

It didn't work.

Iida and Ochaco watched with pained hearts as Inko's eyes watered. Iida wanted to place a comforting hand on the mother's shoulder. He tried in vain, and his hand went through her shoulder.

"Izuku, please…"

"Mom? Mom, don't cry!" he panicked even more. "It's okay, mom!"

She grabbed his head and brought him to her chest, hugging him desperately.

"Mom…?"

"Do you…" She sniffed. "Do you need me to call his mother again? Katsuki might listen to her this time."

"Ah – no, mom it's okay! I don't want to get him in trouble with her again!"

"Izuku, honey," she whispered gently, hugging him closer. "Don't blame yourself, sweetie… Don't do this…"

"Mom…" He slowly hugged her back. Ochaco wiped at her stinging eyes. Iida adjusted his glasses, the light reflecting on the lens and masking the sadness in his eyes. Inko was a lovable woman, and seeing her slowly breaking apart for her son was too much.

"If he's hurting you again, I have to know… You don't deserve to get hurt… please, Izuku, tell me what happened…"

Everyone in class knew Midoriya and Bakugo had some sort of shared history. Bakugo was known for his bad temper, and because of the fact that they knew each other before UA, no one in class thought it was any of their business to interfere. They'd figured Bakugo's malicious attitude toward Izuku was partially due to their familiarity with each other.

Ochaco and Iida remembered the birthday party. Inko had been so kind to Bakugo, as if he hadn't tormented her son a few years ago. Had she been forcing herself to be kind to him, or had she forgiven him for Izuku's sake?

Izuku gave her one firm squeeze before pulling away, keeping his hands in hers as he smiled at her sweetly. "I just fell. I'll be fine, mom, I promise!"

"Izuku…"

"It's fine, really! Don't worry about me." He gave her one of those childish smiles that always melted her heart.

She gripped his hands tightly. "Just… If you need to talk… if you need to tell me anything… no matter what happens, I'm here for you, Izuku."

Ochaco couldn't hold in her tears. He wouldn't lean on his mother because he thought he was only worrying her further, and Inko probably felt her son didn't trust her enough to as her for help

"I know, mom," he told her gently.

The two cleaned the table and washed the dishes together before Inko insisted she'd finish the rest on her own. Izuku gave her a kiss and a final 'love you, mom' before leaving to his room.

Iida and Ochaco stood still as Inko rinsed another plate.

"Deku…" Ochaco whispered, her hand clutching at her heart. The mother-son exchange earlier had shredded her heart into tiny bits. The son was hurting, and so was his mother, and by trying to protect each other, they were only causing more damage.

"This isn't right," Iida finally said. "He needs to talk to her. Leaving the matter like this will not solve this." _But what could we do?_ Iida and Ochaco asked that same question.

When Inko finished her task by the sink, she grabbed her phone and slumped heavily on the sofa. The two teens peeked over her shoulder as the woman scrolled through her contact's list. Mitsuki Bakugo, the contact read. They recalled the conversation Inko had with her son. Call Bakugo's mother _again_ … which meant Inko had complained to Bakugo's mother before. That also explained why she had the woman on her contact list.

The rivalry between Izuku and Katsuki had affected their families as well.

"I knew Bakugo is hostile, but this…" Iida didn't need to finish his sentence. Ochaco merely watched in worry as the mothers talked on the phone. It seemed like these two were somewhat friends, if Mrs. Bakugo's joking manner was anything to go by. They talked normally, asking how the other was doing and such, until Bakugo's mother got straight to the chase.

" _Katsuki's at it again, isn't he?"_ Mitsuki's voice buzzed through the phone.

Inko messed with the ends of her hair nervously. "I…I found… Izuku has another bruise and…"

Mitsuki sighed exasperatedly over the phone. _"I swear, that boy is gonna give me grey hairs. It's like whatever I say goes in one ear and out the other."_

Inko nodded, even though she knew the person on the other end couldn't see her. "I… I'm sorry; I hope this isn't too much trouble."

" _No, no. I should be the one saying sorry. I'm really sorry about this, honey. I'll talk to that brat soon."_

"Oh, don't be too hard on him, please!" Inko pleaded.

" _It's fine. That kid always sees himself at the top of the pyramid. Someone has to show him_ _that's not how things work_ _– life isn't a fucking pyramid!"_

Inko winced and held the phone away from her ear. Ochaco and Iida sweat dropped. Now they knew where Bakugo's foul mouth came from.

" _Is this about Katsuki again?"_ a man's voice asked. They assumed it had to be the husband nearby. _"Did he get into another fight?"_

" _The little punk hit poor Izuku again!"_ Mitsuki shouted.

The father sighed from afar. _"Honey, are you still sure you don't want to sign him into therapy? It might help him."_

" _You and I both know how Katsuki reacted to that idea last time."_

Inko looked uncomfortable by how messy the situation was. "Umm…"

" _Oh, sorry, sorry,"_ the other woman laughed it off. _"I'll deal with Katsuki. You just make sure little Izuku's okay, honey."_

"I will. Thank you." With that, Inko ended the call and threw her head back in exhaustion.

"Mrs. Midoriya," Iida whispered. He desperately wanted to comfort the woman. He knew she wouldn't be able to hear him, but still… "Mrs. Midoriya, please, do not blame yourself."

Ochaco nodded frenetically. "Deku loves you so much. He'll be sad, too, if he saw you sad!"

"Yes, please! Don't worry – we will watch over him!" It was hard to remember Izuku probably didn't even know them at this time. This was a few years ago, which meant he hadn't met either Ochaco or him yet.

"Deku…" Ochaco couldn't shake off that feeling of dread. She followed where Izuku had left, finding the door with the nameplate. Iida reached for the doorknob, only to see his hand go right through it. Oh, yeah, they couldn't touch anything… Ochaco nervously pushed her hand forward and saw it go through as well. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes before pushing herself through the door, stepping into his room. Iida did the same and almost tripped forward.

Izuku's room was almost identical to the one at the dorms, complete with hero figures and posters. There were a few video game consoles he most likely hadn't taken with him to the dorms.

He was at his desk with two textbooks open, most likely doing homework… or trying to. He pushed his chair back and hissed, wincing in pain. He bent down and pulled up the pant to reveal red scrapes on his ankle. He had managed to hide that injury from his mother.

Iida felt a wave of anger at the thought of someone hurting his friend this badly. That someone just happened to also be one of his classmates. Bakugo was rude to everyone, but they all knew his main target was Izuku. So why hadn't any of them interfered? Why hadn't Iida interfered? Guilt ate away at him. Izuku was a loyal friend, and Iida had let him down. Everyone noticed Izuku's skittish and jumpy nature, but they all had assumed it was one of his characteristics. Now, it was clear these sudden movements were instinctive reactions. He flinched, because he was probably anticipating a hit and was getting ready to run.

Izuku needed them.

"Deku," Ochaco said tearfully, approaching to see his ankle closer. "Does it hurt? You should show you mom – she's really worried, Deku!"

But, of course, her words did not reach him. The boy covered his ankle, sighed and went back to his homework.

"Deku!" Ochaco chocked. It was frustrating, knowing this beautiful family was struggle internally and she couldn't do anything about it. That was her friend, and even if he didn't know her at the time, she still loved this boy.

Izuku looked at his phone and they saw him set an alarm. He folded his arms over the desk and rested his head over them, sighing sadly. Was he planning to sleep here?

"Midoriya, you can't possibly sleep like this!" Iida scolded. He gestured to the bed wildly. "Your bed is right over there! Sleeping on your desk will only harm your neck and back. Please, use your bed!"

Izuku's eyes slowly closed, and Ochaco wondered why he seemed so tired, both physically and mentally. "Deku…"

It was when he fell asleep did they realize how weak he looked. He was skinny and he didn't have the well-built muscles he had back at UA. They also remembered how he walked home with his shoulders slumped and head down. He wasn't taking care of himself. Ochaco leaned in closer to see his face, and she noted the dark rings beneath his eyes.

He was deteriorating.

This wasn't the happy Izuku they knew. This one was always tired and weak and quiet… Iida had a horrifying realization. Was his friend suffering through depression? It was a disheartening sight. His friend didn't have the willpower to move to the bed. He would occasionally open his eyes then close them again, so he wasn't sleeping, just resting.

"Do you think he's sick?" Ochaco asked nervously. "Maybe… maybe he's hurting! What if he's hurt somewhere else? Oh, Deku, you need to talk to your mom, please…" she pleaded. Something within her wanted to cuddle him and let him know he had people who truly loved him with all of their hearts.

she saw a tear slide down his face. it was enough to break her heart. Ochaco reached out to touch his shoulder – and gasped when she made contact. Izuku's shoulder cracked like glass beneath her hand. Pieces of him started falling apart, his body breaking into shards and landing on the ground with the sound of breaking cutlery. Ochaco backed away in horror and Iida stared in shock.

The whole room suddenly shattered like a mirror, spider web cracks stretching everywhere.

"What's happening?" Iida shouted in panic.

The walls fell apart, showing nothing but a black background. The floor cracked and turned black as well. Everything was falling apart around them. There was a loud, pained scream, and everything shuttered into shards – the walls, floor, bed, posters of All Might, and Izuku on the desk – all shattered and blew away.

Ochaco and Iida were left standing in a black room, dark and empty.

Open nothingness.

Ochaco whimpered. This had to be a nightmare… the feeling of dread and isolation and _fear_ was everywhere. It was as if a giant, evil hand was pushing her down.

It was like the inside of a dark tunnel, black and echoey and endless.

"Is… Is this Midoriya's memory as well?" Iida asked. His voice bounced off walls he could not see.

"I…" Ochaco looked down at her hand – the hand she'd placed on Izuku's shoulder. "I… I couldn't hold him before… How…?" _what had she done?_

She then remembered the scream they heard before everything went dark. That sounded like – "Deku! That was Deku!" She said, terror griping at her heart. It had been a scream of agony, of unbearable pain. Where was he? They needed to find him! He was in pain!

Their hearts almost stopped when they heard the scream again.

"Deku!"

"Midoriya!"

They began running through the darkness, unaware of where they were actually going. They just followed the sound blindly. Their shoes clapped and echoed behind them and their breaths came in short pants. Their eyes caught something in the distance. As they got closer, the ground gave off some light, just enough for them to see a giant spider's web from afar. Lines stretched from the black sky and all around, ending at a small body curled up on the ground.

Their running slowed, and they walked toward the unusual image uncertainly. The lines weren't lines, but silver chains. They stretched from different directions, and ended at the middle, connected to something on the ground.

That something shifted and the chains rattled. That _thing_ was alive, and it was…

" _Deku!"_ Ochaco screamed, her voice cracking as tears rolled down her face.

He was on his knees and facedown, his hands chained behind his back. The chains covered his arms and stomach and shoulders, and there were two thick chains wrapped around his neck as well. He was in simple clothes, the short sleeved attire he usually wore around the dorms. The chains from the sky were attached to him… the sight was unreal. This couldn't be a memory… they hoped it wasn't a memory…

"Deku!" She ran for him, worry eating at her heart. This was too much to handle. He was chained up like a wild animal, and he looked so defenseless, on his knees with his forehead pressed to the ground and hands behind his back. This was too cruel…

Iida sucked in a breath when he noted how Izuku flinched as soon as Ochaco called for him. Could… could he hear them? It couldn't be possible…

"Midoriya?" Iida asked and knelt down on one knee. Ochaco fell to her knees and as soon as she placed her hand on Izuku's shoulder, she gasped and more tears fell. She heard him grunt and he slowly turned his head to the side, staring blurry-eyed at her knees.

"U… Uraraka?" His voice sounded scratchy and tired, but it was him.

Hearing him speak caused the two to grab him in desperation.

"Midoriya!"

"Oh gosh, Deku!" she cried and collected him into a hug. Stronger hands circled them both as Iida hugged them both.

"Uraraka? Iida?" Izuku asked tiredly. It sounded like he had been deprived of water. His throat sounded so dry and lifeless.

He recognized them. He wasn't a memory. He was real. This was where their Izuku had gone. This was where he had been this whole time. Ochaco hugged him tighter, rubbing her teary face into his green hair. She had missed him, and now, having him in her arms, she realized just how much she needed this boy in her life. "Deku…" She whined into his hair.

"What… how… how did you guys…?" Izuku tried to speak, only to stop to take a breath. He was panting for some reason.

"Hold on, Midoriya! We'll get you out of here!" Iida told him. He then pulled away to check the chains that prevented his friend from getting up. He grabbed at the chains that tied Izuku's hands together behind his back, checking to see how to unlock it. Ochaco got closer and let Izuku's head rest on his lap, keeping one hand on his cheek and brushing through his hair with the other, trying to comfort him. "It's okay, Deku…" She was still crying. Why was he chained up like this? "It's okay…" He didn't deserve this. "Deku…" Just how long had he been like this? "We'll get you home." Her tears fell on him. "I promise we'll get you home…"

There was a slight buzzing sound. She felt Izuku flinch in her hold. He suddenly jolted his head up. "Guys, get away!" he shouted urgently, throwing his head back and thrashing to get his friends to let go of him.

"Wha – Midoriya, wait! What's wrong?"

" _Let go! Hurry!"_ They'd never heard him scream like this before.

The chains glowed, and a line of bright blue electricity ran down the chains. Izuku tilted his lower half to the side and kicked Iida in the stomach sending Iida toppling back before the electricity from the chains reached his body. They watched in horror as Izuku's body went rigid. His head slammed down against the ground and an animalistic shriek ripped through his throat. He was getting electrocuted, and they watched uselessly as he got tortured. He had anticipated the shock, which meant it had happened before.

Iida and Ochaco screamed for him and instinctively threw themselves at him. The second their bodies made contact, searing pain stabbed through them and traveled throughout their entire bodies.

The agony didn't last long, and as soon as the electricity stopped, the three slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

"De… Deku…" Ochaco reached for one of the chain attached to his neck and pulled at it weakly, trying to free her friend somehow.

"Run…" Izuku hissed. "Please… go…"

Another hand grabbed at the chain. "We won't leave you, Midoriya…" Iida said and pulled at the chain, too.

"Guys, please…" he sounded so tired, so worn out. It broke their hearts, knowing he was enduring this for days.

There was a loud thump from behind them, followed by a snake-like hiss. Iida and Ochaco slowly turned around.

Just a few feet behind them, black oil oozed out of the ground. The slimy puddle grew and slowly started to take shape like clay, molding into an elephant-sized scorpion. The enormous monster hissed at them, raising its stinger aggressively. Its many eyes locked onto them.

It ran at them. Before Ochaco could react, she watched as it swiped away Iida with its claw, sending him sliding across the ground.

"Iida!" She screamed, but refused to leave Izuku's side.

Iida's body slowly faded, disappearing out of sight. The monster towered over her, its claw ready.

In a desperate attempt to protect her friend, she threw herself over Izuku's body. The hit didn't hurt much, but when she looked down at her hands, she realized she was fading. She could see Izuku's hair through her hand.

"Deku…" She hugged him, feeling useless and defeated. "We'll get you out… I promise, Deku…"

Her vision slowly darkened and Izuku vanished from her eyes.

She cracked her eyes open, finding the familiar white walls of the hospital, her friends gather around, and Iida on the other side of the bed, wide-eyed and sweating as if he'd just woken up from a nightmare. They were both still holding Izuku's hand.

Izuku was still asleep, unmoving and unresponsive.

 **TBC**

* * *

 _Note: Yeah, the fifth chapter is going smoothly, so I decided to just keep updating._


	4. Chapter 4

**Scorpions and Chains**

 **SevenRenny**

 **4**

The silence in the room was unsettling. Grief washed over the group when Iida had informed them, in a shaky voice, how they found Midoriya – the real Midoriya, chained up and hurting. The trip inside Izuku's mind had strained Iida and Ochaco mentally. Iida kept his head bowed, his hand over his face, trying to calm himself. Tsuy rubbed Ochaco's back as the gravity girl remained traumatized in her seat, her fingers trembling like tuning forks while her other hand refused to let go of Izuku's.

He couldn't wake up, because he wasn't allowed to. He was restrained, trapped in the darkness of his own mind. He had been like this for days while everyone had thought he was simply asleep. He'd been suffering this whole time. Their sweet boy – the one who always greeted them with that wide, innocent smile and encouraging words, the one who always had their backs when they needed help – was in a never-ending loop of torture, and had been for some time.

Ochaco swallowed down a sob. The memory of Izuku's screams of agony still fresh in her mind. She pressed his hand to her wet face, rubbing it against her cheek and over her eyes and forehead. _I won't leave you. I can't leave you._ She hiccuped miserably, and no one blamed her for breaking down in front of them.

They remember what Aizawa had told them about the other victims. One had woken up, but committed suicide later on; the other passed away in her sleep. What would happen to their friend? Would he end up like the first, or the second? There was a possibility they would never see him awake ever again, and the thought of losing him for good caused their hearts to sink into an endless pit of despair.

And his mother... What would they tell her? That her baby boy had been in excruciating pain and no one had noticed?

"Let me try," Kirishima said. His hands were tight fists, shaking with barely contained rage.

Aizawa eyed him uncertainly.

Kirishima hardened his arms, making them look menacing. "He's chained up, if I can just break him out …"

"Let me come along as well," Todoroki said calmly. "If we encounter the same monster they had, then we'll need to hold it back."

Mina raised her hand. "Let me go, too!" she demanded.

Other students, such as Ojiro and Momo also raised their hands.

"Yeah!" Denki held up a fist to the sky. Jiro raised both her hand and, without realizing, one of her earphones raised up as well. Those things moved by instinct sometimes.

"Let's all save him!" Toru cheered, raising an invisible hand.

Tsuyu and Tokoyami raised their hands, too.

"Midoriya has been a noble friend. We cannot abandon him," Tokoyami said.

Shoji raised three of his arms

"No way I'm letting you have all the action!" Sero punched the sky.

Aizawa sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Just don't screw this up. Save Midoriya; see it as your first heroic mission. And make sure you come back. We're already one student down."

"Yes, sir!" They all shouted in unison.

They would get him back for sure.

"Umm… guys?" Denki asked. "I don't know if you noticed, but Midoriya only has two hands," he pointed out as if the others were too stupid to notice that detail.

Jiro slapped the back of his head. "Idiot, you just realized that?"

Denki back away, offended. "But… How are we supposed to…?"

"How are we sure they managed to enter because they held hands?" Momo asked, thinking it over. "Had it been due to physical contact, or close proximity? Or is there something else we are missing?"

"One way to find out," Kirishima said, accepting a can of sleeping gas provided by the doctor. Izuku was slowly dying inside, they couldn't wait. They gathered their chairs closer to the bed. Iida and Ochaco still held Izuku's hands. While Ochaco held his palm, Kirishima managed to place his hand over Izuku's hand. Todoroki did the same on Iida's side, sandwiching Izuku's hands.

The rest of the students either placed hands on his arms and knees, hoping this would still work. They were surprised when Bakugo dragged over his chair.

The group felt the air around them thicken. Iida looked at the red-eyed boy disapprovingly while Ochaco's wet eyes glared daggers.

"What?" Bakugo snapped. "Got something to say?" He carelessly plopped his feet over the bed, right atop of Izuku's legs, because he was not touching the nerd with his hands.

"I thought you disliked Midoriya," Iida pointed out. Bakugo was known for targeting Deku, but seeing the affects of Bakugo's bullying on Izuku's old self had triggered a protective instinct within Iida. Bakugo was Midoriya's bully, and he never knew how bad it must've been for his friend… until he got to see how sad the younger Izuku had been with his own eyes.

"I hate his fucking guts, what's new?" Bakugo growled out.

"Come on, now" Kirishima sensed the uneasiness in the atmosphere and tried to prevent an argument. "Not now, guys, we need to get Midoriya. We can't waste time. Come on, who wants to go first?" he gestured to the gas can. His question was ignored.

"I don't think Bakugo should come with us," Ochaco blurted out angrily, and the whole group suddenly froze. They hadn't noticed it before, but the hostility of both Ochaco and Iida towards Bakugo was too evident to ignore now.

" _Ha?_ " Bakugo raised a brow. "And who gives a shit what you think, Gravity Bitch?"

"I agree with her," Iida butted in.

Denki mouthed ' _oh shit'_ and the students went rigid, expecting a fight to happen.

"You two wanna start something?" Bakugo shouted, holding up his hand and letting tiny explosions go off.

"Okay, okay, calm down," Kirishima, still holding on to Izuku's hand, stood up and got mentally ready to shove himself at Bakugo if the blond decided to release a bigger explosion.

"Bakugo has attacked Midoriya many times before," Iida stated. "Midoriya is in critical condition. I believe it is not safe to bring Bakugo along."

Ochaco nodded, agreeing with her friend.

"And who the fuck would listen to you, four-eyes?" Bakugo yelled and slammed his hand against the bed. "If you wanna fight, then you should've just said so!"

"Hold on – everyone, just hold. On." Kirishima's attempts to settle them down didn't do much. Calming Bakugo was almost impossible, so he turned to what was causing Bakugo's anger.

"Okay, guys," he tried to sound friendly to Ochaco and Iida. "I know Midoriya and Bakugo don't get along–"

"Who gets along with Bakugo – Akk!" Denki yelped when Jiro elbowed him in the ribs. Tensions were already high; they didn't need to be dragged in as well.

"–but we need everyone's help right now!" Kirishima told them

"And we've got plenty." Iida gestured to everyone. This wasn't normal, the group of students realized. Iida was known for being strict, but he wasn't one to start fights. Ochaco usually kept her distance from Bakugo, or, at the very least, interacted minimally around him. But right now, she looked ready to attack him.

Then, a thought occurred to them. Bakugo and Izuku had known each other before UA, everyone knew that much. Ochaco and Iida had seen parts of Izuku's memories, and Ochaco had mentioned she'd seen Bakugo in his memory…

… And now, right after going into Izuku's head, both Ochaco and Iida were giving the blond disapproving glares.

"Damn…" Denki said without meaning to. Jiro didn't scold him this time, because they all had the same question floating in their heads: What had they seen?

"This is ridicules," Momo finally said. "We are losing time. Think of Midoriya."

That got Ochaco and Iida to focus on their sleeping friend again. The more they argued the more time was wasted as Izuku waited for them. Ochaco pointed to the gas can and Kirishima handed it to her.

"Two presses," the doctor reminded, watching the scene. Ochaco nodded. She glared at Bakugo one last time as if to say ' _We'll finish this later'_ and placed the plastic mask over her mouth and nose and gave the handle two firm presses, breathing in deeply. She passed the can to Tsuyu before drowsiness fogged her head. She made sure to hold on to Izuku's hand as she laid her head on the edge of his pillow, close to his head. She'd make sure he was safe.

The can passed from one person to the other. After a few minutes, only Iida, Kirishima and Bakugo were left. Bakugo glared at the class president before inhaling the gas and passing it to Kirishima. He kept his feet atop Izuku's and leaned back in his chair to fall asleep, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"Here, man," Kirishima held the can out to Iida. "Hey, don't worry." He patted Iida's shoulder in reassurance and gestured to the sleeping blond. "I don't know what you saw, but I'll keep an eye on Blasty, kay?"

Iida looked surprised and Kirishima chuckled at the bewildered look on his face. "Don't worry about him – just focus on getting Midoriya back."

Iida finally smiled weakly and took the can. "Thank you."

…

"What the _fuck!_ " Bakugo screamed in irritation. He rubbed at his aching eyes.

"Fellas, I think I'm blind!" Mina panicked. "Am I blind? I can't see!"

"I can't, either!" Denki yelled back.

"My eyes hurt! I can't see a thing," Jiro complained.

"It's okay, everyone!" Ochaco yelled out. This was her third time experiencing this phenomenon of temporary blindness.

"Please, do not panic!" Iida shouted. "This is completely normal!"

"I'm freaking out – oh!" Denki squinted down at his hand. He could make out the shape of his palm. Everyone else started to settle down as their vision slowly came back. They were in a white worldof light.

"This is it? Did we make it?" Denki asked, his voice echoing through the emptiness.

"This is so creepy…" Jiro shivered and hugged herself.

"Is everyone here?" Iida started counting the students around him.

"Guys!" Kirishima ran over to them. He stopped to catch his breath. "There you are! I thought I was blind back there!"

"Glad to see _you_ made it!" Sero congratulated and gave him a high-five.

"So… this is it?" Sero asked, gesturing to the emptiness. "Thought Midoriya would have more in his head."

Clouds of colors slowly leaked into the whiteness, smudging everything into shades of greys and blues. The group of students huddled closer to each other for security as they watched the world change around them. White cotton clouds drifted in blue skies above their heads.

Everyone was too shocked to move, until Bakugo stepped away from the group.

"This is…" His red pupils shrunk, realization downed upon him. "What… what the fuck! Why _here_?"

They were on a roof of a building. They all approached the edge and saw the world beneath. Kids in uniforms were down there, walking and laughing and joking around. They were on the roof of a school.

"You've been here before, Bakugo," Todoroki said. It wasn't a question, because he knew, by Bakugo's reaction, that he knew the place.

"Yeah," Bakugo admitted reluctantly. His hands were ready to crack a few bombs. "My shitty school before UA."

"Wow…" That was all Denki could say. Bakugo and Midoriya had gone to the same school, and if this was indeed Midoriya's memory, then it was Bakugo's as well.

From behind them, there was a sound of paper being flipped. They all turned and saw a boy in his school uniform sitting on the ground, his back against a wall and a notebook was open on his knees that were drawn to his chest. He scribbled something down.

They all recognized him. That freckled face was hard to forget.

"Midoriya?" Kirishima asked, not believing his eyes. Sure, he had been told by Iida and Ochaco that they had seen him here, but seeing the proof with his own eyes was still shocking. "Holy crap… it's really him…"

He looked skinnier, but this was him, no doubt about it.

"Midoriya! Hey, Midoriya!" Mina tried to call for him, but he didn't react in any way.

"He can't hear us," Ochaco reminded her sadly. She knelt next to him and tried to touch his shoulder, only to see her hand go through him.

"Wah!" Denki gasped. "That's so weird..."

"So this is Midoriya in the past." Momo turned to Iida. "How did you find the real Midoriya, though?"

"That… I'm not so sure," Iida admitted. He looked over at Ochaco for assistance.

She looked down at her hand. "I'm not sure how it happened but… I grabbed his shoulder." She repeated the action and saw her hand ghost through his shoulder again. "I couldn't before, but it worked that time…" That last time, she'd touched his shoulder and he cracked – literally – right under her hand.

"I guess we just have to keep trying?" Jiro recommended.

Kirishima squatted next to Izuku as the other boy continued writing something down.

"What' cha doing there?" Kirishima peeked over. There was a sketch of Thirteen, along with a notes on the sides. Kirishima chuckled. "Been doing that since before, huh?" They all knew how Izuku liked to analyze Quirks and Heroes. It was a hobby of his they'd gotten used to. While it seemed nerdy as heck, it was still a hobby he enjoyed, and they respected that. Everyone had a hobby, so why wouldn't he?

They felt a slight rush of familiarity. Watching this Izuku doing what their Izuku used to do… it felt like looking through childhood photos of one's family. For a moment, it felt as if this Izuku was everyone's little brother. He looked at peace, doing what he loved. Ochaco saw the light in his eyes. He looked happy, content, like their Izuku. Such a simple thing as doodling in a notebook brought him so much joy. She then looked around. He was all alone up here, on the roof, quietly sketching.

 _Izuku has always been a lonely boy._

This was his sanctuary, his little hiding place, where he could practice his hobby without being called a nerd and being looked down upon.

Kirishima tried to tap his shoulder, but wasn't surprised when his hand didn't reach anything. He sighed sadly. "Come on, buddy. Don't you wanna go back?"

It was useless, but they had to keep trying. Ochaco had managed to get through before, so it wasn't impossible.

"You're mother's been waiting for you, Midoriya," Todoroki tried.

"Everyone's waiting," Ochaco said in desperation. "Come on, let's go home!" she pleaded and tried to grab him again, but no matter what she did, it was useless.

Izuku continued writing.

They heard Bakugo click his tongue impatiently.

The school bell rang. Izuku jumped at the sound, and then sighed before closing the notebook and unzipping his yellow backpack, stuffing the notebook in. Ochaco noticed how the happy glint in his eyes disappeared. He strapped on his backpack and headed for the stairs. They followed their comrade, his shoes clapping with each step down.

It was an awkward stroll to his classroom. Other students around Izuku walked by normally in groups of friends, yet, there was something off about the atmosphere around him. He looked isolated, as if he was somewhere he did not belong. He was quiet, too quiet, even for the Izuku they knew. He stopped right in front of the open door of a classroom. They all noted how his shoulders tensed defensively.

They then heard a familiar voice.

There was Bakugo in a black school uniform with his feet lazily propped over his desk. There were two other students standing over him, chatting away. One of them resembled the student Ochaco had described.

Izuku flinched when Memory Bakugo glared at him. It looked like Izuku was ready to run if the other boy got up.

"Alright, settle down," a man said, scaring Izuku. The teacher walked in. He had no sort of enthusiasm whatsoever. "Settle down."

Ochaco tried to tap Izuku's shoulder one last time, and failed again, before he made his way to his desk with his eyes looking at nothing but the ground.

"Dude," Denki said to the real Bakugo. "Not a fan of teachers, but this guy's depressing, man." He already had difficulties focusing in class, he was just glad he didn't have this boring teacher. The guy looked like he had given up on life altogether and was just waiting to die and get it over with. Denki almost fell asleep until the man slammed a stack of papers against the desk before scattering them carelessly.

"…you all wish to enter the heroics section, no?"

The classroom erupted in cheers and whistles and a few students showed off their Quirks. The UA students felt a rush of energy, suddenly wanting to be part of this as. Well… until they saw how unenthusiastic Izuku was about it. He had raised his hand, but that was it. He was a fanboy when it came to anything hero related, so why hadn't he been excited for this?

"Oi, oi, don't group me with these losers," Past Bakugo laughed before he made a scene, standing on his desk and declaring his superiority over everyone.

"Man, you were worse back then…" Denki commented. He cowered behind Jiro when Bakugo tried to swing a fist at him.

"Shut it, electro-dolt!"

Both UA students and dream students quieted when the teacher spoke again.

"Oh, didn't Midoriya wish to enter Yuuei as well?"

Everyone turned to the green haired boy. He was hiding his face and had flinched the second he heard his name. UA students looked around in confusion when everyone started laughing hysterically.

"What? What's so funny?" Denki asked in confusion. Had he missed a joke?

The look on Izuku's face when he finally look up… he looked so under attack. This didn't feel right.

" _You? Midoriya?"_

" _It's impossible for you!"_

" _Is he – Is he serious? You've got to be kidding me!"_

Anger boiled within the UA students.

"Hey, leave him alone!" Kirishima snapped. He couldn't take it. That was his friend, and the whole class was ganging up against him. "Laughing at another classmate? That's not very manly!"

Ochaco's anger and sadness molded in the form of tears. "Stop it! What's wrong with Deku wanting to be a hero? I know he'll make a great hero!"

" _You can't just become a hero by just studying!"_

" _You? In the heroes section? You can't do anything!"_

" _I don't think they'll let him in anyways. He's Quirkless."_

That last comment stopped them in their tracks. Quirkless? Midoriya? There was no way he was Quirkless. The boy had broken buildings and cement walls, they'd seen his powerful Quirk with their own eyes.

"He's not Quirkless. What are they talking about?" Todoroki asked, looking around as if the answer might present itself. He didn't like how the kid had said _Quirkless,_ as if the word was an insult. Quirk or no Quirk, people were still people. Quirks did not define a person. Quirkless shouldn't be an insult.

"I… I… I know there's never been a Quirkless hero before, but maybe… maybe I can be the first?" Izuku said timidly.

Iida was about to defend him when his words sunk in… _there's never been a Quirkless hero before…. I can be the first…_ did… did he just admit to being Quirkless? Had he heard him wrong?

They group noticed how uneasy Bakugo seemed. He knew something. He knew something they didn't.

"Dude, what's going on?" Denki asked hesitantly.

"How the fuck should I know?" Bakugo growled.

"Err… it's your school?" Denki suggested. He knew he wasn't supposed to tempt an angry lion, especially if this lion could blow shit up.

"Fuck off – it's none of your business!"

"So you do know," Todoroki stated.

Iida and Ochaco turned to each other. They remembered that one day when, while walking home together, Deku had told them his Quirk had manifested _way_ too late due to a genetic mutation. They had never thought he'd meant _this_ late. Was it even possible to gain a Quirk at this age?

" _Useless shit!"_ The dream Bakugo suddenly smashed a fist against Izuku's desk, emitting an explosion that sent the other boy out of his chair. Ochaco acted on impulse and tried to help Deku up, but her hand grabbed at nothing.

The green haired boy cowardly backed away until his back hit the wall. The dream Bakugo towered over him menacingly. While they had gotten used to seeing Bakugo act this way, Izuku wasn't running… he wasn't defending himself in anyway. It looked like he was ready to shut down on himself.

"Teacher!" Iida yelled worriedly. "Please, stop this! Bakugo's behavior is unacceptable!"

The teacher remained uninterested. He simply picked at his ear with his pinky finger. Their teachers at UA wouldn't have let this go on. They weren't the targets of this class, but they couldn't help but feel distraught by the situation.

" _You don't even have a_ _weak Quirk_ _, you don't have anything! Listen up, I'm the only one getting into UA, got it? They don't take in useless shits!"_ the dream Bakugo yelled and Izuku shrunk back even further.

"Stop it…" Ochaco whimpered. This was too cruel to watch. Someone do something! The teacher! One of the students! Anyone! "Stop it – can't you see he's scared!" She yelled, not caring that she looked like a crying child throwing a tantrum.

"Kacchan! I'm – I'm not competing against you – it's – it's just…" Izuku struggled with his words. "It's just that… being a hero… it's been my goal since I was a kid…"

"And you'll make a great hero, Deku!" Ochaco cheered him on, wiping away tears. If they weren't going to stand up for him, then she would!

"Yeah, man," Kirishima tagged in. "You made it to UA! Just ignore grumpy old Blasty there."

"Hey! I'm right here, hair-for-brain!" the real Bakugo yelled.

However, Izuku's class only laughed at his childish dream, with a few calling him _'useless'_ and _'good for nothing'_. Here, it seemed like Bakugo was top dog, while Izuku was at the bottom. Bakugo had a powerful Quirk and an unshakable personality. He was loud, and if he wanted something, he'd get it one way or another. He earned himself a reputation to not be messed with, and that alone seemed to be enough to let him get away with bullying the underdog. They would rather side with the monster than be the monster's bait.

"Dude…" Denki looked at Bakugo. "No wonder he's scared shitless of you."

"And you should be, too!" Bekugo yelled, warning him that he was getting a little too close to getting scorched.

The class resumed with the UA students trying desperately to make contact with Izuku. Nothing was working. They were only ghosts in this world. During class, he would make a few more notes in his notebook. The bell rang and the students of the memory got up to leave. Izuku, however, pulled out his phone to check something.

"I don't understand," Iida said. "What are we to do? How did we get to Midoriya before? Did we have to wait for something?"

"You said it happened when he was in his bedroom, right?" Momo asked Ochaco.

She nodded. "Yeah. I grabbed him when he was trying to sleep at his desk."

"Do you think it has something to do with the location, then?" Iida asked.

"I'm not sure. All I do know is that we need to try and copy the scenario as close as we can," Momo informed them. "Uraraka did something right, we just don't know what."

"Incoming, incoming!" Sero warned, seeing the dream Bakugo approaching with his unnamed buddies. "Holy crap, are you seriously going after him _again_? I know you're a dick but come on!"

"Shut. The fuck. Up!"

The dream Bakugo snatched the notebook from Izuku's hand.

Dread washed over the group. They immediately remembered how Izuku's notebook looked back during the Sports Festival; blackened and wrinkled up. They knew it was going to happen; they just weren't ready to see it happen.

"No way…"

"Please don't tell me he's gonna–"

Dream Bakugo slapped the notebook between his hands. Black smoke puffed out as tiny explosions burned the outer pages. Izuku screamed, and some of the UA students had the same reaction.

"Wah! What the hell?" Denki yelled.

"Why'd you do that?" Ochaco clutched her head, her worries piling up quickly. She remembered how Bakugo had shoved him against the wall, and how he left bruises on the poor boy, and how he had turned the whole class against Izuku, and now, how he went out of his way to destroy his possessions. Bakugo was the definition of a bully – of an abuser.

The real Bakugo – the one who had come along with them – was growling, his teeth grinding painfully together as his classmates watched his younger self behave like a lunatic. They gasped in horror when the dream Bakugo threw the notebook out the window.

"What did you think you were doing, Bakugo?" Iida scolded furiously.

"That… That wasn't very heroic, man." Kirishima admitted. _Kinda the opposite of that, really,_ he wanted to add, but thought it was better to not add fuel to fire and kept his mouth shut. "Look, I know you and Midoriya don't… get along," he chose his words carefully, "but don't you think you went a little too far?"

"A _little?_ " Mina piped up.

Things only escalated when the younger Bakugo placed his palm over Izuku's shoulder. Strings of smoke escaped from between his fingers. He was burning him, and Izuku was just taking it. This wasn't the same boy who had flipped Bakugo over during the Battle Trial. This Izuku didn't defend himself, and that fact made their worries explode in full force.

"Wah – chill, man! Calm down!" Kirishima threw all logic aside and tried to physically get in between the two past students. However, being a ghost, he couldn't do much.

"That's enough – he's going too far!" Momo yelled out angrily. The past Bakugo had no leash or boundaries. No one told what he could and couldn't do. There were no punishments for his wrong doings.

"Stop it, you're hurting him!" Ochaco felt her heart tear when she saw the look of terror in Izuku's face. She and everyone else breathed a sigh of relief when the past Bakugo released him.

" _You know, there's a way you can become a hero,"_ past Bakugo said, standing by the doorway. _"You can jump off the roof and hope you get reborn with a Quirk in your next life."_

The group stared in utter silence as the words slowly sunk in. A few held their breaths when they realized what had just happened, and a few gaped in disbelief. Ochaco covered her mouth in horror and Iida and a few others stood as still as stones. It was so quiet; a pin hitting the floor would sound too loud. A few students, mainly Iida, Todoroki, Kirishima and Ochaco dared to turn and stare at Bakugo – their Bakugo, as the younger version left. His hair shadowed his face, his fists clinching tightly.

"Bakugo," Kirishima called nervously. "Please tell me that didn't actually happen…"

 **TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

**Scorpions and Chains**

 **SevenRenny**

 **5**

"… _And you're… Deku Midoriya, right?"_

" _Deku?"_

" _Yeah, wasn't that what that Bakugo kid called you?"_

" _Oh, well… err, it's Izuku, actually... Deku is what Kacchan calls me… to… it means good for nothing, so…"_

" _Oh! It's an insult? I'm so sorry! But you know… I like Deku. It sounds like 'you can do it'!"_

" _Ah – It's Deku, then!"_

She'd always seen that adorable side of him. Even back then, when she barely knew Deku, she knew he had a heart of gold. That smile of his always brightened her days. Sure, he was slightly on the timid side as well, and he tended to easily panic by minor things, but she'd brushed those aside, assuming that was just how Deku was. However, after the Battle Trial, where he had faced Bakugo head on, something changed within him. He had become braver. Something had happened during his fight with his childhood bully, whatever it had been, it had triggered something.

 _"I'm not gonna be 'Deku' the worthless punching bag anymore, Kacchan! I'm... I'm the 'Deku' who does his best!"_

Back then… it had been a victim standing up to his tormentor. It had been the turning point between the two. To her, Izuku was that brave boy who encouraged her to do her best, to try her hardest. But, seeing his past self, it was clear he hadn't always been brave.

Ochaco admitted she loved this boy, and it was very hard to not get angry at the moment. Her emotions turned into one big ball of anger, and she directed it at one person who she felt deserved it.

That loud slap to Bakugo's face was strangely satisfying.

His face turned to the side from the force, and he stayed that way, staring blankly at nothing. The whole class stood in shock. They still hadn't gotten over what the old Bakugo had told Izuku to do, and now, seeing one of their sweetest classmates bitch-slap Bakugo of all people… it was all too much to take in. It took minutes of silence for their minds to fully digest the situation.

Bakugo slowly, ever so slow, turn to stare at her, his cheek turning red. Her cheeks puffed and were wet, her eyes red-rimmed from crying so many times in one day. She jabbed him in the chest with her finger, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again before a sob could escape.

She remembered Izuku had risked his life to go after Bakugo during and after the Forest Lodge attack.

"He…" her voice was barely heard. "He saved you… he… he still saved you… e – even after… even after all you did to – to him… he still…" It was easy to target all of her anxieties at him. She had felt this tightness in her chest for a week, since Izuku's injury and hospitalization, and now, it all came pouring out in waves of anger and tears and hate and grief.

Something changed in Bakugo's red eyes. He touched his reddening cheek and they all saw sharp rage flash through his pupils. Kirishima was the first to move, hardening his arms and hooking them under Bakugo's, trapping him before the blond exploded, in more ways than one.

"I didn't ASK for that SHITRAG'S help!" Bakugo barked. His throat muscles visibly tightened and fire cracked in his fists.

"Easy, man!" Kirishima tried to calm him down. He hardened most of his body as the other boy almost dragged him forward with him.

"Let – _the fuck_ – go! I'll pulverize that bitch!"

"Why are you so mean to him?" Ochaco cried and Iida held his arm out to gently push her back. She was ready to full on attack Bakugo if she had to.

"Uraraka, while I'm angry as well, we can't let this turn into a fight," Iida advised her.

"If a fight's what you want then let's have it!" Bakugo continued, but Kirishima held him back.

"Man… you have to admit, that was kinda rough, even for you, Bakugo," Denki commented. He was used to Bakugo's asshole-like personality by now, but watching how the past Bakugo had interacted with Midoriya… it didn't settle well with him.

"Okay, okay, I know this looks bad but… that was a long time ago guys," Kirishima tried to fix this somehow. "I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, right?"

"Of course I did!"

"… You're not helping yourself right now, just sayin'…"

"I don't NEED your help! I don't need anyone's help!"

Yaoyorozu walked in between the two students being held away. "Alright. Calm down. All of you," she commanded sternly.

"She started it, and I'll finish it!" Bakugo growled, still being held back.

"Bully!" Ochaco accused, ignoring Iida's shushing hand gestures. "You're just a big bully!"

"Come here, _I'll end you!_ "

"C'mon, guys…" Kirishima begged.

"Ahhh… guys?" Mina called out nervously. Her voice only reached a few of the students.

"You're still a bully to him!" Ochaco continued, tears shining her face.

"Uraraka, please, take deep breaths," Iida instructed.

"And the shitnerd still deserves it!" Bakugo barked back.

"Guys!" Jiro called out, too, after realizing why Mina had first. "Guys, Midoriya's –"

"Deku's a good person!"

"He's a useless shit!"

Denki finally screamed, "Guys, he's going for the window!"

All at once, the argument was tossed aside and all eyes were on Izuku. He looked miserable as he glanced out the open window. There was no light in his eyes, and when he grabbed the edge and leaned over, everyone panicked, their thoughts heading for the worst case scenario.

They all scrambled to grab him. Kirishima released Bakugo and both boys ran over hastily. Was Izuku about to...?

"Is he seriously gonna jump!" Denki panicked when his hands went through him, forgetting he couldn't touch him. He panicked even more. "Wait, dude – stop! Shit! Stop!"

"Midoriya!" Iida shouted as his heart sped up. "Midoriya, don't! This isn't the answer! Please, I beg of you, don't do this!" He knew Izuku must have had depression at some point from the way the young Izuku looked in the previous flash back; and when Bakugo had suicide baited him… Iida couldn't think straight anymore. This was too much to take in.

"Deku, no!" Ochaco screeched. She tried to hold him, to stop him, to let him know they were here, but everything she did was useless. "Deku, no – don't listen to him, Deku!"

"Midoriya, this isn't worth it. Please, think rationally," Todoroki tried.

Jiro's earjacks came to rope around him, only to catch nothing because, apparently, she had forgotten she was practically a ghost.

"Fuck – grab him!" Bakugo suddenly roared. "Just _fucking grab him, damnit!_ "

"We're trying!" Sero yelled.

"Everyone, hold on," Momo ordered. Izuku pulled back from the window, sighed, and slowly made his way back to his desk to take his backpack. Everyone released breaths they were holding in. Kirishima put his hand over his heart and sighed in relief. That had felt like a heart attack.

Some of the students looked out the window to see. Izuku hadn't been preparing to jump. He had been checking where his notebook had landed; right in a pond. They had assumed the worst when he'd approached the window right after being told to jump and kill himself.

"That was scary," Mina admitted, and they all agreed.

And the look on Bakugo's face was frightening. They remembered that look. It had been the same defeated expression he had worn after the Battle Trail. Kirishima felt like the blond was close to having that mental breakdown again. The boy was breathing too erratically and his body was like a coiled spring.

They watched as Izuku strapped on his backpack and looked up to blink away the moisture from his eyes. Bakugo snapped. He rushed to the green-haired boy.

"The fuck 'er you crying for, you shit? Are you that fucking weak? Huh?" He yelled at him and slapped a hand on his shoulder to turn him around.

His hand made contact, and the boy in front of him shattered like glass. A few seconds passed as everyone watched the boy crumble into tiny shards and slowly drift up like sand in an hourglass, slipping in between Bakugo's outstretched fingers.

Denki snapped out of it first. "What… What did you just….?"

His half-question lingered. Cracks started forming around the room as the whole classroom started breaking apart like dry wallpaper. Shocked, Bakugo backed away slowly. The rest of the students gathered closer together.

"What's happening?" Ojiro's tail muscles tightened in anticipation.

The walls and floor fell apart. The desks and chairs crumbled and blew away, leaving the students standing in pitch darkness.

Iida couldn't believe it. "We… We made it."

The students turned to him.

"What?" Momo asked.

"It's here!" Ochaco insisted. "It's – we found Deku here!"

"Yes, Midoriya has to be nearby," Iida confirmed.

"Wait, what did we do right to get here?" Denki scratched his head.

"We don't have time for that right now," Momo reminded them. She turned to Iida and Ochaco, hope shining in her eyes. "How do we find him?"

"We…" Ochaco remembered. "We heard him… he was screaming…" She remembered it clearly, his voice so worn and dry.

They all quieted and waited for a noise, a sign… anything that could lead them out of this darkness and to their long lost friend.

"I don't hear anything," Sero said, looking over his friends to check if they had better luck.

Jiro's plug-like earlobes stretched upward and twisted around, scanning the environment like radars. "There." She began running, and they all followed behind. They could only hear the sounds of their shoes clapping the glass-like floor beneath. Jiro, however, heard more. She heard him, chocking and panting and grunting in pain, and that only made her run faster, her speed powered by adrenaline pumping through her.

She kept her jacks outstretched. She would not lose him. They'd come this far, they couldn't lose him now.

"We're coming, Midoriya!" Kirishima shouted into the darkness. They still couldn't see anything, but he hoped Midoriya could hear him somehow. They had to give him hope. They had to let him know they hadn't forgotten about him. "We're coming for ya, buddy!"

While still running, Jiro's eyes widened at what her jacks picked up.

" _Kiri…shima…?"_ It was far away, and very weak, but she knew his voice all too well.

"It's him!" Jiro panted. "He heard you!"

All at once, everyone started called for him.

"Midoriya!"

"Deku!"

"Hold on, Midoriya!"

"You better be alive, you shit!"

In front of them, the darkness slowly turned into grey, and they managed to make out the silhouette of a structure that resembled s spider's web. Lines were held from the sky and stretched down to attach to something. As they came closer, some felt like throwing up. Those weren't lines, but thick chain, and about twenty of those chains were tangled around a poor figure.

"What the hell is that?" Kirishima yelled in shock. The web of chains secured that tiny creature in place. And that tiny creature was a person. He had been told by Iida and Ochaco Izuku had been chained up, but it was heartbreaking to see just how messed up this scene looked.

"Midoriya!" he called for him again.

Izuku shivered on the ground, but couldn't do much of anything else. There was a buzzing sound and blue light run down the chains. They gasped and watched with clinching hearts as blue electricity zapped the poor boy. It only lasted a few seconds, and he released a throaty scream right after, pressing his forehead against the glass floor.

"Deku!" Ochaco ran to him and quickly gathered his head off the ground. She saw a thick string of saliva from his open mouth and to the ground. His face felt wet under her fingertips and she raised his head just enough to see his wet, red face. He had been crying.

She hugged his head to her chest, whispering calming words to him. "It's okay… it's okay, Deku…"

Everyone surrounded him, crouching low to his level. Comforting hands were all over him.

Iida grabbed his cuffed hands. "I'm sorry we were late, Midoriya."

"We'll get you out," Kirishima promised, ruffling the boy's green hair in an attempt to ease his pain.

"Guys, this can't be right," Ojiro said, examining the chains. There weren't any keyholes or marks of any kind. The cuffs on Izuku's hands seemed as though the metal hand melted over his hands and cooled over them. The tiniest movements yanked at his flesh, threatening to tear his skin off. The chains attached to his legs, ankles, thighs, midsection and upper arms were like that as well. The only chain that seemed different was the one around his neck. The chains there were attached to a metal collar dangling around his neck, and the other end of the chain was stuck to the ground beneath him, preventing him from getting up. A red spot had formed on his forehead, indicating how long he had been in this position; kneeling with his head pressed to the ground.

"I got ya covered." Ashido squirted a line of acid over one of the many chains. Steams lowly rose as the liquid at away at the metal.

Todoroki froze another chain, and Ojiro's strong tail came down at full force, shuttering it. The second the two chains were cut, a flash of light blinded everyone.

…

" _All Might… is… is it possible for someone like me…is it possible for someone like me to become a hero? I… I know I'm Quirkless but… I think it's really cool to be able to save people and…it's always been my dream to be a hero… I just need to know, can I ever hope to be someone like you?"_

They had no idea how or when had they gotten transported into another flashback, or where their real Izuku had gone, but they all stood in confused silenced at what was in front of them. They were on a roof of a building, watching as the younger Izuku spoke to All Might. They had met before UA. That probably explained why Izuku always seemed to be All Might's favorite student.

All Might suddenly deflated, turning into the skinny man they were still getting used to seeing at UA. Izuku had seen him like this before, weak and skinny and deteriorating, and he hadn't told anyone for All Might's sake.

They weren't ready to hear All Might's next words.

" _This is a risky job. Pro Heroes put their lives at risk every day. And some Villain just can't be beaten without powers. So no, I don't think you can become a hero without a Quirk."_

An arrow struck their hearts. They couldn't imagine how Izuku must've felt at that moment. The look on his face was tragic. The thing he strived for, the thing that kept him going, that kept him from breaking down under life's cruelty, his dream of becoming a hero, had been denied by the person Izuku admired the most.

" _I… I see…"_

" _If you want to save people, there are always other things you can do. You can become a police officer, it is a fine profession."_

And All Might was leaving him like that.

" _It's not bad to have a dream, young man, just make sure to keep things realistic."_

…

And they were back to where they were, huddled around a chained up Izuku in a dark room. That flashback had come out of nowhere. It left them holding still for a while as their minds slowly started to catch up to them. Why had that happened?

There was a loud thump from behind, followed by another, and Iida and Ochaco paled. The loud footsteps shook the glass ground beneath their feet as the giant scorpion crawled to them with his tail raised over its head, showing off its weapon of choice.

They could think of those flashbacks later. They had other things to worry about now.

Kirishima hardened his arms. "You guys get Midoriya out of that!"

"Roger!" Mina attacked another chain.

Todoroki stepped on the ground and ice spread out and climbed over the scorpion's legs. The thick ice broke when the monster lifted its legs; chunks of ice still clung to it.

Bakugo was suddenly at its face. He jumped and, with an evil grin on his face, slapped a hand over the creature's many eyes and fired one big explosion. The scorpion shrieked and stumbled back while Bakugo landed gracefully, grinning like a maniac.

"Uhhh… Bakugo?" Sero pointed at the monster.

Its eyes melted into sludge and the slime ran down its face, detaching from the monster and landing on the glass floor. The goop seemed to come to life, molding and shaping into three, much smaller scorpions. The original scorpion slowly regenerated its eyes.

It had multiplied.

Bakugo blinked. That… wasn't supposed to happen. "The fuck?"

"Ooookay, that's not good," Sero commented.

One of the little scorpions ran at them. A hockey stick hit it, sending it flying back. Yaoyorozu held the hockey stick ready, pulling out one more and throwing it to Jiro before lifting up her shirt and making another one for whoever else needed one.

"We shouldn't try to wound them. We have to keep them at bay," she instructed. "Scatter. Try and distract them."

They did so, going in different directions. A pink tongue caught one of the small scorpions by the tail just behind the head of the stinger. Tsuyu lifted it off the ground with her tongue and tossed the creature as far as she could. Jiro did the same to another cat-sized scorpion using her earlobes.

The original scorpion, the biggest one of them all, spotted Ochaco, Iida, Kirishima, Denki, Mina, Todoroki and Ojiro trying to free Izuku. Todoroki continued to freeze the chains, allowing Ojiro to smash them with his tail while Ashido melted another chain and Kirishima chopped at a chain repeatedly, chipping away at it. The others merely tried to comfort Izuku as he remained limp on the ground.

Light flashed as soon as some of the chains broke, sending them into another memory.

…

" _You should just give up,"_ said a man in a white lab coat. It was a doctor, and they were all present as he explained how the child in front of him probably wouldn't gain a Quirk. They knew those green eyes and curly hair. That child was their classmate; a much, much younger vision of him, anyway. A woman sat by him, speaking to the doctor and gently rubbing the child's back. It was only when the doctor addressed her name did they realize this was Izuku's mother. She looked very different, taller and not as chubby, but that was Inko for sure.

They were all shown another short flashback, with the child Izuku watching a video of All Might, fat tears rolling down his face. _"Mom, look… heroes… heroes are so cool."_

They couldn't blame Inko for dropping to her knees and engulfing her child in a much needed hug. If they could hug this child, too, they would.

…

"What is happening?" Denki finally yelled when they were transported back to where they were, holding on to a chained up Izuku.

"The chain!" Todoroki figured out. "It's happening whenever we break a chain!"

That wouldn't stop them from their mission, so they kept going, for Izuku's sake.

The monster charged at the group in anger, only to have giant black claws grab it by the legs. Dark Shadow stared it down, daring it to fight him. Due to the lack of light here, he was much bigger, and much stronger. The dark bird pushed the scorpion back. The creature's pointed legs scrapped and screeched against the glass ground.

With the group of friends messing with the chains, they froze when they heard a buzz from above. The blue light traveled down the chains and zapped Izuku and everyone holding him. Some lost strength of their bodies. Their hands automatically released the chains, their fingers shaking and their hearts ramming into their chests, waiting for the aftershock to pass.

One person was still holding on to Izuku.

"I've – I've got ya, buddy!" Denki managed, holding the smaller boy into a tight hug. Izuku was shivering in his grasp, panting and breathing too fast. He coughed as he choked on his own spit. Denki felt him slump in his grasp. His friend had no energy left in him.

There was another buzz, and Denki tightened his hold on Izuku, bringing him to his chest. He wasn't about to let go. They both gritted their teeth when they got electrocuted again. It was over quickly. Izuku let out a pained grunt. He didn't have the strength to scream anymore.

"I know, I know, just breathe, Midoriya." Denki rubbed and patted Izuku's shoulder, encouraging him to hold on.

As soon as Kirishima regained his strength, he latched on to the chain he'd been working on and, giving it his all, he chopped at it with his arm. He bit down on his tongue when his arm failed to harden. Looking down at it, he tried to activate his quirk, but nothing happened.

"It's not working," Todoroki said, releasing the chain from his grasp and staring at his hand after his quirk failed to freeze the chains.

"My Quirk's not working!" Kirishima yelled. Both he and Todoroki had been electrocuted, and both couldn't activate their Quirks right after.

"It's the shock," Todoroki figured out. "It cancels out Quirks!"

That also explained why Izuku hadn't been able to activate Full Cowl. They remembered when he had been trying to activate it while still in his deep sleep. He had been trying. He had been trying – both physically and mentally – to break himself out, but exhaustion had eventually took over. He couldn't lift his head up, turn, or talk to them. He looked too dazed to figure out what was going on around him anymore.

Someone grabbed Kirishima by the shoulder and shoved him aside. "Out of the way!" Bakugo growled, reaching out for the already damaged chain Kirishima had been chipping away at. Clamping his hands around it firmly, he yanked at it with all his strength, and the cracked metal ring snapped. The chain broke and chimed loudly when it hit the ground, the other half dangled from the sky.

…

" _S- Stop it,"_ a five year old Izuku whimpered, standing up for a kid who had been getting bullied. _"Stop it, I – I won't let you hurt him, Kacchan!"_

Izuku, however, did not stand a chance in that playground that day. The child version of Bakugo, along with two of his friends, tackled the green-haired boy, leaving him battered and bruised on the ground.

…

Bakugo gritted his teeth after that flashback ended. He roared, fury rolling out of his throat, and switched to pull on another chain. Ochaco gently grabbed Izuku's face and held it up, giving Mina enough room to start melting the chain attached to his neck, being extremely careful not to go overboard and hurt him in the process. Ochaco and a few others were still shaken from the pieces of Deku's past. Each one was a slap to the face. It hurt, seeing that child hurt and not be able to do anything for him.

Another cat-sized scorpion ran at them as the team worked on the chains, only to be engulfed in a net. Momo threw another one at it as it kept trying to stick its claws through the holes and crawl its way to the group helping Izuku. Tape wrapped around its clumsy legs and Sero heaved his arm back, dragging the small monster with him. With a victorious shout, he swung his arm up and over, tossing the scorpion into the air and sending it flying off into the darkness.

Dark Shadow grappled with the biggest monster, bird claws and scorpion pincers clamping together, one dark monster pushed the other.

Like whips, Jiro's earphone jacks wrapped around three of the scorpion's legs, bringing them together and the monster toppled to the side. Tokoyami ran forward and Dark Shadow took the opportunity to push the scorpion on its side and as far away from Izuku as possible. They needed time, and he could do that.

The chain securing Izuku's neck was mostly melted, attached only to a thin bridge of metal. Bakugo, being impatient, grabbed the weakened chained and, with a mighty roar, pulled it to the side, hearing it crack under his power.

…

" _Him? UA? He must be outta his mind!"_

" _When's he gonna let it go, man?"_

Izuku just poked at his cafeteria food. Ha was sitting at the end of the table, as far as he could from anyone else, but Bakugo's friends – err… _acquaintances_ , who sat at the other table, made sure to keep their voices loud and clear for him. Feeling multiple eyes on him, Izuku pulled up the collar of his school uniform in an attempt to hide himself.

" _You hear that, loser? Yeah, we're talking about ya. Wanna join in?"_ the kid laughed and his partner snorted.

Blushing in embarrassment, Izuku lowered his head to the table, grabbing at his hair miserably.

" _I kinda feel bad for him. He's so lost in his head he can't think real anymore."_

" _Let' m keep dreaming. Just wait 'til reality hits him on the head later."_

…

Denki and Ochaco helped Izuku sit back. A line of saliva dangled from his chin. He grunted from the movement and his head fell back to rest on Denki's shoulder, Ochaco holding him by the shoulder to keep him still. He looked in complete agony. His face was red and wet with tears and sweat and spit, and his eyes were half-lidded. He could barely keep them open.

Kirishima gently placed his hand over Izuku's head. "Hang in there, buddy. Just hang in there." _You're not alone anymore. We're here for you!_

"Incoming, guys!" Kaminari warned when he saw the blue light run down the chains. He grabbed on to Izuku tightly, refusing to abandon his friend, when they were both engulfed by an insulator sheet. Momo quickly stepped back as electricity hit the two. Izuku still got electrocuted due to still being connected to a few chains.

When it was over, Denki pulled the sheet aside to see what was going on. Ice covered a few of the chains.

"I can use ice again," Todoroki informed them.

Kirishima looked down at his hands and activated his Quirk, grinning when he realized the quirk cancellation had worn off. He quickly got to work, slashing at the few remaining chains.

They went through the chains so quickly the flashes of memories went by rather fast.

" _It's impossible for you–"_

" _What can you do? Nothing!"_

"– _useless!"_

" _Get it through your thick skull already, nerd – you can't be a hero!"_

" _It's that quickness boy again…"_

" _The one who wants to go to UA? He's actually gonna try? For real? Is he that stupid?"_

" _Apparently."_

" _You? A hero? Keep dreaming, man."_

"– _Says he doesn't have a Quirk–"_

" _Kid's a crackhead, I tell ya. Somethin' ain't right with 'm."_

" _Do yourself a favor and just give up. Better now than later."_

"– _can't say anything back? That's just sad."_

" _He can't do it–"_

" _You can't do anything!"_

The more they heard, the harder they tried, and the tighter they held on to him.

"Don't believe that, buddy." Denki squeezed him to his chest.

"We're here for you, Deku!" Ochaco cried, holding his wet face in her hands. "We're all here for you!"

"Don't give up, Midoriya!" Iida joined in.

"He won't give up!" Kirishima yelled back. "He's strong. If there's one thing I know about him, it's that _Midoriya never gives up!_ " he made sure to yell the last part, because he needed to be sure Izuku heard it. He needed to hear it.

"No matter how dark life gets," Tokoyami said. "Keep shining, like the hero you dream to be."

"No matter how many times others put you down," Yaoyorozu continued. "You stand back up."

"No matter you alone you feel," Ojiro said. "You've got people waiting for you!"

"No matter how much it hurts," Todoroki added. "You breathe through it and keep going."

"Because we need you, Deku!" Ochaco pressed her forehead against his. His eyes seemed so lifeless, so full of pain and despair. No. They couldn't lose him now.

"We're all your friends, Midoriya!" Mina pitched in quickly.

"We all love you, Deku!" Ochaco screamed in desperation. "You're… You're Deku… You're not the Deku who can't do anything, you're the Deku–"

"…the Deku who does his best," Izuku finished for her, his voice tired and dry, but enough to let her know he heard her. He heard them.

The giant scorpion screeched as the other students continued breaking the chains one by one. They were trying to steal away the little grasshopper. The monster, in a disparate attempt to free itself from Dark Shadow's hold, used its pincer to snip off one of its legs. The leg melted and molded into a horse-sized scorpion. This one ran for the group helping Izuku.

There was only one chain holding him now. The scorpion raised a claw to strike. Ochaco and Denki held on to Izuku and Todoroki, Ojiro and Kirishima held their ground. Bakugo threw himself in between the group and the striking claw, using himself as a human shield.

And the world went white.

They all stood in a different area. No monster and no Izuku. The students looked around in confusion as the world transformed to how another flashback of their friend.

"What…" Kirishima looked around as fire cracked and orange flames obscured their vision. "What… where is this? Guys? Guys!"

"Right here, man!" Denki waved him over. Ochaco, Iida, Sero, Jiro and everyone else was there, except for Izuku.

Buildings around them continued to burn. A crowed was being held back by… was that Backdraft? And Kamui was there, too!

"What's going on?" Mina panicked. The sudden changes in environment had jumbled up their focus.

"What happened to Deku?" Ochaco asked fearfully, looking around for him.

The fire went through their bodies harmlessly, which meant this was indeed a flashback, which also meant the younger Izuku had to be nearby.

In the middle of the chaos and fire, a greenish blob swirled. Giant, evil eyeballs swam in that liquid muck that seemed to be alive. A human hand reached out of it, only to be sucked back in. Someone was inside that thing.

" _I've hit the jackpot!"_ the greenish, blob monster chuckled.

It was a Villain, and someone was being held hostage. Someone in the crowd yelled for help, and someone else begged for a hero to do something.

The UA kids all sucked in a breath when the hostage inside the slime monster tried to fight back by releasing familiar explosions from his palm.

They knew that person.

"Bakugo!"

All at once, throwing aside all forms of logic, the students swarmed their captured comrade–

Only to realize he wasn't the real Bakugo. Kirishima reached his hand out and watched it ghost through the slime and where the younger Bakugo's chest should've been. He couldn't touch him. He was a flashback. The real Bakugo was a few steps away and was as still as a stone, eyes wide in disbelief.

They watched as the past Bakugo struggled. He was getting suffocated by the greenish blob monster. Kirishima could only watch in horror, none of the heroes where doing anything to help. He knew this was the past, and that Bakugo must've gotten out somehow, because how else would he be alive and attending UA?

Their hearts clinched at the helpless look on Bakugo's face.

"This can't be real…" Denki couldn't believe what he was seeing. His legs felt wobbly and ready to give out.

They'd never seen Bakugo like that before. Bakugo was vicious, destructive, violent, and loud. Seeing him like this, eyes pleading for help, just reminded them that no matter how much of a monster he showed to be, he was still human. There were so many people and heroes around, yet, no one was helping him…. until they heard screams of: "Get back here, kid!" from Death-Arms.

A boy had flung himself out of the crowd and was running full speed. He looked scared – terrified, even, but he kept running straight for the slime monster.

They knew that skinny boy.

"Midoriya!" the students screamed in unison.

Some of the heroes called for him, warning him that he was going to get himself killed, but he kept going. Kirishima gasped when Izuku ran through him. They watched as the monster was ready to strike at the boy, when Izuku slipped off his backpack and suddenly flung it at the monster's eye. Stunned, the slime creature flinched back, unintentionally releasing Bakugo's head.

"What the hell?" Denki exclaimed, clutching his head. "That… That actually _worked?"_

Of course Midoriya would pull something like that out of the blue. But seriously, a fucking backpack? Did Midoriya actually have a plan when he decided to run?

Throwing all caution to the wind, Izuku threw himself at the Villain and started to desperately try and dig his childhood bully out.

" _Kacchan!"_

" _What – Why are you here?"_

" _I – I don't – My legs moved on their own!"_

The group of friends stared in amazement as a scared, teary eyed Deku risked his life for someone who had made his life a living hell.

" _You looked like you were calling for help!"_

His voice cracked over a million times as he poured out his emotions into those words. The students stared in astonishment, and something in their minds clicked. Izuku Midoriya was the definition of a hero – a real hero. He wasn't looking for fame or glory or social status. He didn't care who he was saving, as long as he was saving _somebody._ He didn't care that Bakugo was the one who had tormented him for all his years. He didn't care that the person he was trying to save was the same person who had told him to jump off the roof. He didn't think of taking revenge by just not stepping in and just letting Bakugo suffocate.

Izuku just wanted to save people.

The slime Villain grabbed hold of his hostage tightly. A muscular hand intervened. All Might latched on to the kid's hand and, with a powerful punch, splattered the monster into tiny bits.

There was a flash of light, and they were back in the scorpion's dark room, each student exactly where they had been before, with Denki, Iida and Ochaco holding on to a worn out Izuku. Just in front of the green-haired boy was Bakugo, his back to them and arms stretched out protectively to prevent the scorpion in front of him from getting past. The scorpion's tail had stopped only inches away from Bakugo's face, almost stabbing him between the eyes. He had used himself as a human shield.

No one moved. The monster stayed still while Bakugo glared daggers at it, daring it to get closer. There was the sound of metal hitting glass as the last of the chains hit the ground, its broken end hissing and steaming as Mina's acid finished eating away at it.

A chunk from the tip of the scorpion's tail broke off, crumbling into tiny, dust-sized pieces and flying away as if picked up by wind. The rest of the beast's tail broke apart, then the whole monster, until there was nothing left of it. The scorpion blew away, and the same happened to its duplicates.

A green strand of grass popped out from the glass ground, where the monster had been standing.

"Thank you…" Izuku managed to gather what was left of his remaining strength to speak. The metal clumps around his joints crumbled like dry clay.

The tiny piece of grass grew, and more green strands surrounded it, before everyone closed their eyes from the explosion of greenery spreading across the dark word. Like a flick of a light switch, darkness turned into light, and the students were left in a brightly lit meadow.

The dreaded atmosphere turned into a cool breeze and tiny white flowers swayed, scattered all over the blanket of green land. The black sky had turned blue. Izuku sighed and slumped back against Denki's chest. He closed his eyes to rest for a moment, and opened them to see everyone surrounding him, concern and worry in their eyes.

He gave them a tired, but gentle smile. "I'm okay, guys…"

That was enough to have them all sighing in relief. He was suddenly engulfed in a gentle hug by Ochaco, before Denki, Iida and Kirishima joined in as well. Others pushed themselves through to get to him.

"Deku!"

"We missed ya, man!"

"Move over – I wanna hug, too!"

Izuku just stuttered in confusion in this huge mess of arms and faces and voices all around him.

"Don't smother him, give him space," Momo scolded, though she had a thoughtful smile on.

They backed away a little. Iida patted him on the shoulder. "Come on. Let's take you home, Midoriya," he said confidently.

Izuku's smiled tiredly and gave a weak nod. "Yeah…"

A few feet away, a string of clear water squirted from the grassy ground, forming a puddle, and then growing into a blue lake. Something tall and thin emerged from the center: a door. It stood there innocently in the middle of the lake, its bottom half submerged in water.

The students blinked at it.

Izuku's finger hooked onto Kirishima's sleeve, getting the other boy's attention back to him. "A little help?" Izuku asked him embarrassingly. He gave a weak laugh. "I… can't get up."

Kirishima ruffled his green hair playfully. "Yeah, can't say I blame ya. Hey, Bakugo!" He called for the blond who just glared back at him. "Wanna do the honors?" Kirishima offered, stepping to the side.

Bakugo's sharp eyes narrowed. He could see the unspoken statement in Kirishima's face. _Do it for Midoriya._

He had to admit. He owed the little rant.

With an unhappy grumble, Bakugo turned his back to Izuku and squatted. Todoroki and Iida helped lift Izuku up and onto Bakugo's back.

"Sorry for making you do this, Kacchan," Izuku apologized meekly. Bakugo just stood up and jostled him to adjust him on his back. Izuku lifted his hand weakly and gestured for the door. "There. The way out."

"How the fuck do you know that?"

"I just do," Izuku insisted, chuckling a bit to himself at his own words.

"The hell? That's not an answer, you idiot."

"It's _my_ head, Kacchan."

"And it's fucked up beyond hell!"

The other students sweat dropped. Todoroki cleared his throat loudly, reminding Bakugo that he was still here and that he still wasn't too happy with him at the moment, not after seeing what the blond teen had done to the smaller one in the past. Kirishima chuckled and placed his hand on Izuku's back to push the two forward. "C'mon, Bakugo. Let's just listen to him."

Bakugo clicked his tongue in irritation and began marching. "Not like there's anywhere else to go," he grumbled. They all followed, stepping into the cool lake. The water slowed them down, but they continued with Bakugo and Izuku at front. By the time the blond reached the door, the water was up to his knees. Izuku reached up and turned the handle.

The path was a long, echoey tunnel, still filled with water up to their knees. The walls kept changing color; swirling purples and blues and galaxies.

"If we get stuck in here, I'm drowning you," Bakugo warned.

Following him in, they heard the sounds of swishing water and felt the shifting of pebbles beneath their shoes. The shine of the water reflected lines of light onto the tunnel walls. They could see pictures moving on the walls, like a movie projector at a theater, the pictures moved to display short clips of someone's life.

" _Happy birthday, sweetie!"_

It was Izuku and his mother in what appeared to be their home. A cake with a _12_ shaped candle was in front of him. He didn't have friends or anyone else, but from the way he smiled brightly, it was clear his mother was enough to him. She gave him a peck on the cheek, and he captured her in a tight hug.

The scene melted their hearts. With everything he'd had to deal with, they were glad he had at least one person dear to his heart. There was a possibility he wouldn't have kept holding on to his life if his mother hadn't been there for him.

As they continued walking through the tunnel, the scene on the walls changed. It was Izuku – their Izuku – with his mother again. This time, she was holding out an envelope to him.

" _Izuku, it's here! It's here, honey!"_

Even after handing it over to him, she paced back and forth in front of his room. It took them a while to realize it was a letter regarding the test results. He had gotten zero Villain points, but had made it in thanks to the Rescue points he'd managed to get without realizing.

Things got more interesting when they were shown Ochaco – who had thought Izuku hadn't passed – begging to share her points with him.

Ochaco stopped walking and blinked at the walls. So that's how he knew she tried to talk to Present Mic. But then…

" _Please! He saved my life!"_

She blushed when Mina elbowed her teasingly. "That's when it started, eh?"

Ochaco steeled herself and began speed walking away, slushing the water around her legs wildly and hearing her pink friend chuckling behind her.

The scene on the walls changed again, and there was Izuku in his UA uniform, bending down to put on his shoes.

" _Do you have everything, sweetie?"_ his mother was right behind him.

" _Yeah, mom!"_

" _Did you pack tissues?"_

" _Ah-huh!"_

" _Izuku!"_

" _What?"_

" _You're… you're really cool, Izuku."_

The scene changed again, to where Iida, Ochaco and Izuku accompanied each other to walk home. This was probably his first time ever having real friends. He had that smile they usually saw on his face, that cute, innocent smile that lighten up their day. It was hard to believe this boy had a hard start.

The next scene was of Izuku going through his notes involving hero costume.

" _Hey, mom!"_

" _Izuku, I've got something for you."_ His mother held out a green jumpsuit. _"I know it might not look cool, but you fell asleep from studying so hard and you left your notebook open. I… tried following your design as best as I could."_

" _Mom…"_

" _I… back then… I'm sorry for giving up on you so easily, Izuku. Even after that, you still chased after your dream. I'm sorry, baby. From now on, I'll always cheer you on!"_

It was hard not to shed a few tears. Some students, like Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, had soft smiles on. Ochaco and Mina blinked away tears, and Kirishima was beaming proudly. It was no wonder Izuku didn't want to change his costume's design. His mother had made it for him. It was such a simple detail in his life, yet, it had a powerful impact on everyone watching.

On Bakugo's back, Izuku's tired eyes closed as he heard his own voice echo through the walls. It was bizarre, hearing himself and seeing the events that had long passed him by. He still had questions of his own, but, honestly, he was too disoriented and just too tired to think or do anything else. It felt like all the strength in him had been sucked out, and now it took way too much effort to move.

He heard All Might's voice in the tunnels, and judging by the man's words, he knew which day in his life they were watching.

" _Back then, you were the only one to act. You, the shy, Quirkless fan-boy, were the only one to jump in to save someone."_

" _But… All Might… I… I still couldn't do anything."_

" _No. You interfered and risked your life. For most heroes, they always have something in common when it comes to rescuing others: their bodies move before they could think."_

They all suddenly remembered how Izuku had flung himself at the slime monster, to save Bakugo, of all people.

" _That was what happened to you, wasn't it?"_

The Izuku reflected on the walls was crying at this point. _"…yes…"_

" _Izuku Midoriya, you can become a hero."_

They couldn't blame Izuku for crying. After being told he couldn't do it by pretty much everyone, hearing such words from his number one hero was probably the best thing that had happened to him that day. After so many rejections and insults to his dreams, all he needed was one simple 'yes, you can' to lift him up.

The next scene was familiar. They had been there to witness it; his 16th birthday party. It wasn't just him and his mother anymore. The common room was decorated with bright, shiny colors and the cake was half gone as each person took a slice. They were all there, surrounding him, and it was probably the first birthday party he had with actual friends around. He looked so happy, so blessed to have so many people around.

Watching their past selves on the walls, no one said a thing. Nothing _needed_ to be said. As they neared the exit – a light at the end of the tunnel – they briefly saw how Izuku tucked his face in Bakugo's neck to cry. The red-eyed teen, surprisingly, didn't react to that, but continued walking into the light as if nothing happened. Bakugo, deep in his own mind, had the realization that maybe; just maybe, he had ruined someone's childhood, and scarred them mentally for life.

…

His eyelids cracked open with too much effort. He shut them tightly after a shine of light stabbed at his eyes, but tried again, blinking at the many familiar faces that surrounded his hospital bed. They were all gazing at him, waiting in anticipation.

His eyes scanned them one by one. They were all here, for him, and he couldn't hold back a tired smile.

"Hey, guys," Izuku finally greeted them, his voice cracking and strained from being unused for so long.

They all exploded into cheers, throwing themselves at him. Ochaco hugged his neck, Iida gripped his hand tightly, Kirishima managed to squeezed himself against Ochaco to hug Izuku as well, and Mina practically jumped on them all for a hug.

"Midoriya!"

"He's awake!"

"Move over!"

"I wanna cuddle, too!"

"You had your turn!"

"Hey, let me love him!"

"Our cinnamon roll is back!"

"Welcome home, Midoriya."

"You had us all worried–"

"Come here, you little bastard – you almost gave us a heart attack, you know."

"We missed you, man."

All the while, Izuku had tears of joy. He was getting smothered by hugs and playful pats and noisy laughter, but he wouldn't have it any other way. A giggle bubbled out of his chest as he absorbed all the positive attention he so desperately craved for all these years. He was physically and mentally drained, but still giggled and laughed as Kaminari ruffled his hair and Ochaco's teary cheek rubbed against his own wet cheek.

It took forever for the doctor to get them to let him go. He needed to check on the boy. If it weren't for their homeroom teacher, he was sure none of them would've listened to him.

After getting a call from the hospital, Inko Midoriya wasted no time getting there. Even before seeing her boy awake, she was already crying. The doctor wasn't sure if she actually heard a word he said to her. The second Izuku saw her by the door he was already struggling to heave himself up to greet her.

She drew him into her arms, crying her eyes out. "Izuku… Izuku baby!"

"Mom…" He was crying as well. He missed her. Her familiar scent always put him at ease.

She cupped his face and planted many kisses on his cheeks and head and over his eye, before hugging him again, rocking them gently.

The students watched in awe. Someone in the group sniffed. Everyone looked at Kirishima first, but he was looking over at–

"Sero? Are you crying, man?"

"No… Yes!" Sero admitted, tears falling like waterfalls from his eyes.

Kirishima let him cry on his shoulder, patting his back. "I know, man. I know. Let out those manly tears!" Kirishima's eyes started watering, too.

They weren't the only ones crying. Yaoyorozu made herself a handkerchief to dry her tears, a gentle smile on her face.

Denki had pretty much let the dam break. "I love you guys, I really do!" He sobbed loudly. Without thinking, he hugged Jiro and started crying on her shoulder without her permission.

"Hey – ah, you idiot, get off!" Jiro slapped him on the back of the head. It wasn't effective. After seeing what his green-haired friend had gone through, he felt like he had taken his friends for granted.

Bakugo had been quiet through it all.

For the next few days, Izuku had to stay in the hospital to get his strength back, undergoing a few tests and physical therapy to get his body used to moving again after staying still for so long. The class visited him often, and Ochaco and Iida, worried over his mental health, informed Inko of some of the things they had seen. They were nervous, of course. They were pretty much telling her things Izuku hadn't wanted her to know, and they felt like they had betrayed him, in some ways.

But later on, they were glad they had told her.

His new psychiatrist hooked him on antidepressants. While he hadn't been as stressed as before, it hadn't all gone away. Those flashbacks had also triggered some of his insecurities back. He couldn't hide this from his mother anymore. He had admitted to having panic attacks in the morning, waking up with his heart ramming his chest, feeling like he was dying, and he would end up hitting his own chest because he'd feel like his heart was about to stop.

He had been advised to keep exercising, as physical and mental work tired him out and calmed him down for the rest of the day.

He didn't need to keep his condition a secret. All of his friends knew, and understood he needed their support. They'd seen his past, and seen him at his weakest moments, but they didn't think less of him. He was still their nerdy hero fan boy.

The day he returned to his room in the dorms, he was greeted with boxes of neatly wrapped presents.

"Happy late birthday, bro!" Kirishima cheered, throwing his arm around Izuku's neck.

"I… wait… what? But…" Izuku fumbled with his words.

"We told you!" Mina shouted from behind him, surprising him. "Everyone should get presents on their birthday!"

"We didn't get you anything on your birthday, but that doesn't mean we can't get you anything now," Todoroki explained.

Izuku finally managed to turn around, only to find the whole class had gathered behind him, in front of his bedroom.

"Yeah, Uraraka had to keep you busy at the mall so we could buy you a few things from there," Denki told him.

Oh. Oh! So that's why they went to that mall!

Izuku's eyes started watering.

"Aaaand he turned on the waterworks." Sero laughed.

"That's our Midoriya!"

Izuku wiped at his eyes with his arm. "I… I'm sorry… I'm just so happy…" fat tears obscured his vision. He got plenty of pats on the back and a few more hugs. Turned out Ochaco had bought him a jacket while she had been accompanying him at the mall. He hadn't figured it was for him. He got a few more presents from everyone else; a cap and shirts, a few electronic devices, new headphones and new gloves.

There was one present that didn't have a name. It was clumsily gift wrapped, like the person either had been in a hurry or just didn't know how to wrap it up. From the slight burn mark on the edge of the blue wrapping, Izuku had a feeling he knew who it had to be from.

Bakugo hadn't laid a finger on him so far. It was as if he was doing everything he can to keep his distance. Izuku really hoped the class hadn't turned on Bakugo. While Izuku was the kind to forgive but not forget, it didn't mean his classmates were the same. He knew Bakugo wasn't a bad person. He wanted to be a hero just as much as Izuku did. Sure, he had this superiority complex that made him seem like a jackass, but he wasn't evil; not on purpose, anyways.

He couldn't help how he was raised to be. Bakugo had always thought of himself as perfect, as an individual above others. He had believed that, because that was how everyone treated him as a child, special and powerful and capable of anything. Bakugo didn't have any competition at the time, and – like Izuku – he had been a child with big dreams. Just like how everyone made Izuku feel insecure and incomplete, they also helped shape Bakugo's ego.

They told him he was the best, so he believed them, and having someone tell him otherwise was like having someone tell him his parents weren't his parents.

Bakugo was angry, angry at his own insecurities, angry that everything he believed in might be wrong, angry that he sometimes felt scared, too; angry that he might not be as perfect as everyone had made him believe.

Izuku understood that. And he understood Bakugo needed help, just like how Izuku was getting help now. He was glad his mother got to call Bakugo's and tell her about the situation, and he was glad to hear Mitsuki Bakugo had finally agreed to get her son into therapy. He wasn't sure how it'll go about with Kacchan, though. For now, he could hope for the best.

Un-wrapping the gift, he held the new notebook in his hands. He couldn't help the wobbly smile on his face. "Thanks, Kacchan."

…

"Easy with the ball this time, Bakugo!" Ashido reminded him.

Most of them weren't used to baseball, but the opportunity was there, so they took it nonetheless. A little team bonding wouldn't hurt. Getting their energy out on simple games helped them not only connect, but also keep their spirits up for the rest of the week of hero training.

The game could continue, if only Bakugo could stop using his quirk when pitching the baseballs.

With a growl, Bakugo got ready to throw. Izuku prepared the bat and Ochaco cheered him on by the bench.

" _Do your best, Deku!"_

He'd do his best, for sure. He wasn't the Deku who couldn't do anything. He was the Deku how did his best, and his friends made sure to remind him of that.

"Die!" Bakugo used his Quirk on the poor ball again, propelling it in a smoky line forward like a rocket, leaving a trail of smoke behind.

Deku swung the bat, and hit the incoming comet. It flew up, and he stared at it in disbelief. Some of the students cheered as they saw it go.

"Go, man! Run!"

Oh, right. He was supposed to start running! They laughed as he sprinted in a hurry. He'd keep doing his best, and this time, he had people ready to catch him in their safety net if he ever fell. With every breath, with every step over the dirt, he moved forward, because that's what life's all about; moving forward. He couldn't let the chains of the past bring him down. He'd had a rough start, but that didn't mean he couldn't cherish what he had now. He could make new memories, better ones, and he'd make sure to remember them as well.

Somewhere in his dorm room, just by his window, sat two picture frames. The curtain brushed over the top of them as wind blew from the open window. The photo of class 1-A huddled together for the group picture sat next to the photo taken at his 16th birthday. He's start collecting good memories, good seeds of hope, in his green meadow. He had a long way to go, but he'd do his best.

" _Actually, it's Izuku Midoriya–"_

"– _I like Deku. It sounds like 'you can do it'!"_

" _I'm Deku, then!"_

He'd do his best, because he was Deku, the Deku who does his best.

 **END**

* * *

 _ **Note** : For those asking why I didn't include the parts involving All Might's secret and the parts involving Izuku's training, the **chains** symbolized **bad memories. **_The story focuses on depression, not All Might. I will not disturb the flow of the story just because some of you wanted to see the class react to the secret being unraveled. I will not risk disturbing the flow, and I will not write an additional 2-3 chapters just to plan the aftermath and figure out how to go back to that flow, then have people order "I want to see this" of me later on.

 _Note: I might do a few side stories later, because I feel like there are a few things that need to be addressed._ _And because I like to use symbolism from time to time, a lot of things are left for the reader to figure out. Have fun connecting the dots. This was written mostly for my own entertainment. I had this idea stuck in my head and I couldn't focus on anything else, so I just decided to write it down. Depression doesn't go away that easily. Bullying is a serious matter. I've dealt with it throughout my childhood. I'm in my 20's and I still can't function like a normal adult. It's also hard to find support for this kind of issue, and it doesn't help when most of the population in the country I live don't recognize mental health as a problem. I'm open about my problems with my friends, because I want them to understand that there is an explanation to my weird behaviors. So far, they have been helpful and supportive of me. My own parents and siblings, not so much. I might do other stories regarding this, because I feel like this needs to be addressed. Give me time, and I'll think of something._


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